


Wistful

by VitaminLuce



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Extremely Slow Burn, F/M, Trust Issues, being attacked for my angst is the dream, god I suck at tags, it took me 3 chapters for just one in game day, my attempt at it at least, this is going to be updated so irregularly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:59:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 36,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24296992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VitaminLuce/pseuds/VitaminLuce
Summary: A retelling of the third semester with some major changes. Ren didn't know what to expect when he woke up to see his friends so happy. Things weren't the way they seemed just a few days earlier and all of them just accepted the irregularities without any reason onto why? The only people to notice were him, his best friend that tried to murder him, and his favorite kouhai who he might not have known as well as he thought. But one thing was certain, Ren and Goro certainly wouldn't stand to be puppets in someone else's game, ever again.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Yoshizawa Kasumi, Amamiya Ren/Yoshizawa Sumire, Kurusu Akira/Yoshizawa Kasumi, Persona 5 Protagonist/Yoshizawa Kasumi
Comments: 53
Kudos: 232





	1. Friends

"So what do you say?" The man with slicked-back brown hair asked. His words echoing across the barren room, with only four people occupying it. The white walls masked the horror of the nature of the place. Ren found the man's goals similar to the god they had defeated earlier but this was even worse to him. Brainwashing everyone by making it seem like they had achieved their perfect world, their destiny even. 

But it was all fake, and Ren couldn't stand it. It made him sick to his stomach, seeing Sumire brainwashed into believing that she was her deceased sister. Seeing Futaba's mother brought back just to be another puppet in the grand scheme of things. Witnessing the happy gleeful expressions of Makoto and Haru as they saw their fathers alive again. Yusuke seeing his father figure as a good person and living the life he wanted, happy and successful. Ann and Ryuji having what they lost in high school and even seeing Morgana turn into a human. But alas, it was all lies.

  
  
  


But why? Why did they eagerly believe it without question? They simply accepted the turn of events without any gander into why? Why did they fight to reform the world and control their own fates if selfish desires outweighed their own morals? It boggled his mind. It gave him a throbbing headache that he couldn't resolve. He spent the week trying to see if they would realize what the true reality was but he knew he couldn't push them into it. They had to break free of their own natural accord, that was true freedom. 

The doctor didn't consider pain as something someone overcomes. He only saw it as something that no one should have. 

"We're not going to let anyone determine our fate ever again Dr. Maruki." The boy said solemnly, making eye contact with the doctor. It proved to be a deadlock of sorts until the doctor looked down and signed. 

"It looks like we still can't come to an agreement huh." The brunette asked rhetorically, knowing that he couldn't change the ravenette's mind. 

Goro has been awaiting the boy's answer and knew what it was going to entail before the words left Ren's mouth. Adopting a more bloodthirsty grin, he spoke. 

"It looks like your plans are no longer feasible. I suppose there's no other way to settle this then." He grabbed his helmet and made sure it was firm. Similarly, his rival stabilized his gloves and got ready to fight. 

Both the teens' legs were about to move forward but they stopped when they saw that Sumire had shifted her position. She rubbed her eyes awake and stood up, but her expression was fearful. It was like seeing a deer caught in headlights, seemingly lost as her red orbs met Ren's blues. Her lip quivered as she tried to speak, resembling a whisper. There were no other sounds in the room so her voice had a definition. 

"D-did y-you s-say no?" She barely got out as she shook. Her body was trembling with overwhelming emotion and he badly wanted to reassure her. He wanted to hold her and make sure that she was okay. Ren couldn't bear to see her like this, so so scared. Even if he had gotten to know Kasumi and not her, he didn't want her to have to pretend anymore. 

The teen wanted to know her and help her be the true Sumire, even if he didn't know who that exactly was. She stepped forward, slowly as each footstep resembles a mouse's pace. She seemed to get more crestfallen as she got closer.

_ "This isn't good." He thought in his head _

Ren had to give his answer, he hoped that it would reach out to her or even do something to calm her nerves. 

"I'm sorry Sumire, but we can't live in a world like this. He's using us to accomplish his self-satisfactory goals. Please understand." He pleaded the last part, his confidence felt like it was about to shatter. Maybe it was his heart. He couldn't tell anymore as she raised her head to meet his face again. 

Goro ignored the exchange all together but he hadn't seen his rival (his best and only friend but he wouldn't admit it), this tore up. He paid attention only to see the ravenette's expressions, perhaps this was another side he hasn't seen yet. 

"I-I can't go back to being S-Sumire!" She exclaimed, her outfit changing back to her metaverse one. She drew her sword, still somewhat shaking. 

  
  


I'm s-sorry senpai…" Her lips resembled a small frown but what hurt him most was seeing the tear droplets build in her eyes. God. Just a few days ago, they were so at ease. He remembered being with her at the shrine, so happy, so hopeful. But now, she was ready to fight to go back to pretending. She couldn't return, she was too scared too after being brainwashed for so long. 

The boy pleaded, just one last time. "Sumire…"

"NO! That's not who I am senpai, I'm Kasumi, remember?" She affirmed without confidence. She got closer, almost inches away from him. Her sword in the proximity of his body if she dare swing fast enough. 

Goro growled as he saw that he didn't want to interrupt this. The detective knew that if he got involved, he might kill the girl and his rival certainly wouldn't accept that. Furthermore, he knew that the leader needed to stop her himself. It was a hurdle for whatever conflict was brewing inside his head, hence why it was up to him to resolve it without any help. 

  
  


"I'm assuming you don't want her hurt so I'll let you handle this. Make it quick, we still have a madman to deal with." He growled as he stepped back, keeping an eye on the doctor that grew silent. Was he enjoying this little experiment he concocted? Seeing two people pitted against each other, one fighting to hide while the other fought for the truth? It disgusted him the way the doctor just watched on, but he just kept his gaze afloat. 

Ren reluctantly picked up his weapon but he had no intention of hurting her. His eyes were still locked on her shivering figure as she got ready to strike. Sumire felt compelled to do this even if her emotions were hurting her as she tried to attack someone so dear to him. Someone she- 

No… 

She couldn't think of him like that right now, no matter how much her heart wanted to admit it. 

She had to get her weak self to fight, she couldn't bear to go back to being Sumire. Kasumi was the one everyone liked, the one everyone adored. Kasumi was the one that would have a chance of being with her beloved senpai, not the weak pathetic Sumire that couldn't do anything right. All those sweet moments with him… 

They were all as Kasumi.

  
  
  
  


Sumire was dead.

  
  
  


The redhead kept swinging at Ren, over and over without making a single bit of contact with flesh. He effortlessly parried most of her attacks, some he even dodged without moving a step. All of her movements were sloppy, each easy enough to read and anticipate. The Phantom Thieves leader easily could have struck back but he didn't want to. He genuinely couldn't hurt her. The only way for him to beat her now was to let her tire out and try to soothe her feelings then. It would have been pointless to appeal again during this conflict so he kept it up. 

"Senpai, please. I can't go back to being her, I can't." Sumire cried out. Her swipes became even sloppier as she began to feel overwhelmed in emotions again. Her sword faltered in her hand and it felt like she was about to drop it.

_ "This can't go any longer."  _ The boy thought in his head. He closed the distance between the two, her figure still shaking. 

He embraced her, trying to ease the suffering she was going through but the girl flinched.

Her sword, it-

  
  
  


It finally penetrated his skin. Her reflexes were overcome with the fear and it wasn't of her own accord. The metal went through his leg as it produced a painful pulsating sensation, it throbbed as soon as it went through. But he didn't stop, he kept holding onto her as she slowly calmed down. She didn't even notice what her hands done at that point, she was too in shock about holding onto Ren.

"It's going to be okay Sumire, I'm here for you." He whispered while in immense pain. He bit his tongue to hide the anguish he felt but the redhead seemed more at ease. Her fatigue finally set in and she fainted in his arms, the sword still stuck in his right leg. 

He made sure she was okay with one hand and tried to pull out the sword with the other but it was to no avail. However, Goro had walked up right next to him and pulled it out without any hesitation. He couldn't even make a sound with how quickly the detective removed the metal, simply just feeling the sensation pass and go within seconds. 

"Your needless kindness is going to get you killed before I do. Letting yourself get stabbed just to reach out to someone, pathetic. You better not hold anything back against me or this psychopath." He said curtly. 

Ren nodded, quickly healing himself as he carried the girl to the side and placed her against the wall. She was still exhausted but he hoped that she would feel a little more rested when she awoke.

Their attention was now poised towards the doctor, who simply sighed. 

"I suppose you aren't going to accept my world." The doctor frowned as he uttered the words. 

"No, no we cannot." The ravenette replied.

"I must apologize for what I am about to do then. Persona." With that, some strange horrifying tentacle creature emerged behind Maruki. The two teens were in shock, both making their thoughts known as they glanced at each other. 

_ "He has a persona?"  _ They exchanged through their eyes. 

The man's persona grabbed the girl who was asleep, jolting her awake. Her expression was more so confused as she looked around her surroundings, the same place she fell asleep in except she was… Floating?

Sumire looked around frantically for Ren, the only person she could trust and believe in now. Her eyes pleaded as she spoke with only a few words coming out as Maruki's persona hoisted her in the air. 

"Ren, please…" Her eyes were so sad and scared, it made him want to scream. 

Electricity jolted through her body as he watched her become unconscious again. Maruki said he wouldn't hurt her but it seemed that no one upheld their promises anymore. After the shock, the doctor used his persona to bring Cendrillon into the fray. Providing some sort of support, Sumire's persona was powered up thanks to the weird tentacle creature. It summoned two minions of sorts and it looked like it was going to be a mountain to climb with only two people. 

Goro sighed as he got ready to battle. 

"Let's end this." The ravenette spoke, his words were full of silent anger and resent for the doctor. 

After what felt like ages of fighting with just the two of them, the two managed to defeat the minions and got Cendrillon to the edge of death. They looked as they were about to fall before Maruki summoned more minions and absorbed their life to refuel the persona creature. 

"You've got to be kidding me." The detective cursed out. After all of their efforts, the monstrosity could simply heal? The chances of making out of this looked slim but Ren still had hope. Hope that his friends would arrive and change the tide of the battle. He told Morgana where he and Goro were going to be, someone had to come right? At least one of his friends had to realize what they fought for, what they bled for, what they valued so highly. 

The truth of controlling your own fate. 

"We're here!" is what Ren imagined coming out of the room before they stampeded in there to help but no one came. But there wasn't a sound. There were no other sounds besides his rival and him gasping for air out of exhaustion. No one came. No one cared. They preferred the world where they had everything they dreamed of. 

"Where the hell are your so-called friends?" The brunette gargled out as he applied some healing items to the two. They managed to get a quick break by using the debris to their advantage. Goro had summoned Loki to destroy three pillars and used the atmosphere to buy some time. 

Ren looked down, applying a soma to both of them and tried to compose himself. "I don't know." His words seemed… Lost. 

He didn't know anymore. Were they even his friends at this point? Did they truly care? If they did, then why weren't they here? They abandoned him. Just like before, he was alone.

But no, he wouldn't give up. The ravenette looked back at his only other ally that could fight and adopted a small sad smile. It seemed like they were the only ones willing to fight for the real world. 

"I guess you were right Goro, friends, huh." He spoke with even more mixed emotions. They were both truly alone in this hellhole but they weren't going to die like this. 

"Good, now nothing can hold you back. I'm not going to live like this Ren and neither will you. I have an idea to finish that creature off, follow my lead." The detective reaffirmed. 

The two managed their showtime attack and finished off all of the monsters, without anyone else's help. Maruki watched on, still not saying any words or expressing anything. It was impossible to tell what the doctor was thinking about the lack of expression. After Cendrillon was defeated, Sumire was released and Ren caught her to make sure she wasn't hurt. He checked to see if her pulse was there and she was doing okay besides the shock. 

"I told you, I have no intention of hurting any of you. Please, reconsider my offer. Come back on February 3rd." The man disappeared, leaving the three alone. 

"'No intention of hurting anyone', bullshit," Goro muttered as he stared at the scene of the fight. Everything was in ruins and the doctor simply left when he pleased. A nonchalant attitude and a displeasing agenda. It made him want to hurl with how ludicrous it all was. 

Ren placed Sumire on his back and she was now sleeping, somewhat peacefully he hoped.

"Let's head back to reconcile. We need to make a path to the treasure, 

"with just the two of us." He finished, looking at his friend. 

"That's how I'd prefer things regardless of all your appeals of friendship. They didn't work here and it certainly won't work in the future." 

The ravenette nodded, simply keeping pace with the detective as they made their way out of the metaverse. 

"In fact, even when you defeated all of your enemies, did you truly need them?" The brunette questioned the Phantom Thieves leader as they came to a standstill at the end of the palace. One more step and they would return to the real world but Goro had to ask. Did his rival finally realize that he really didn't need all of his shallow bonds? 

"I don't know." He said, unsure of himself. He wanted to still believe that they would awaken to the truth but the more he thought about it… 

"Hm, I see. I'll speak with you tomorrow but I'd take another look at the way your peers are treating themselves in this fake world. They don't seem like the ones to sacrifice their own happiness for  **yours** ." He ended off. 

The two continued walking, with only the light snores of Sumire keeping the silence from dissipating. Ren had a lot to think about but for now, he just wanted to make sure she was safe. They reached the real world and Goro bid him farewell. 

Sumire stirred in her sleep as she grabbed onto Ren even harder for support. Eventually, she began to gain consciousness again and spoke some discernible words. 

"Are you okay Sumire?" He asked.

"O-oh um y-yes!" She stuttered before departing from the makeshift bed known as Ren's back. 

She was blushing red as she looked down, still quite shy and nervous after being so close to her beloved (but he didn't know that). 

He smiled at last. After everything that he went through, seeing that he didn't let her down was a relief. God, he was exhausted. But this gave him the energy he needed to keep going the rest of the day. 

"I-i'm s-sorry senpai, I don't k-know w-what came over me. I was so scared, I didn't know what to do. I-"

"It's not your fault. I'm just so glad you're okay now Sumire." He said sweetly, making sure to remain close to her for support. His smile lifted her spirits as she felt relaxed again, everything he did just made her feel like it would all be okay. Seeing him happy made her heart flutter and she looked down again as her confidence wasn't there yet. she didn't mind though, he was overjoyed to see Sumire. The real Sumire.

"T-thank you senpai."

"Let's get you home for now, maybe I can speak with your father about how often you talk about me." He said teasingly, eager to make the mood a little less serious. 

It worked. She cheered up at the little flirting even if she froze trying to respond with stammers coming out. 

_ "She's adorable. _ " He thought in his head. The two made their way to the girl's house before she turned to the boy. 

"S-senpai, u-umm. Can w-we talk after school tomorrow?" She whispered. 

"Of course, I'll see you then Sumire. Good night." She smiled and if she was Kasumi, she would've hugged the boy and confessed how much she adored him but she wasn't there yet. She wanted to reach out towards him and show any affection but all she could do was smile. She felt guilty but the redhead didn't realize how happy the boy was to see her grin and her eyes full of hope. It made it all worth it. 

He started walking back as the lights made Tokyo gleam. Everything felt dark to Ren though. Nothing made sense besides the two people he had bid farewell. He understood Sumire's position, she was brainwashed and couldn't understand what she was doing. She was okay now though, she seemed to be herself again. Goro was the same as usual, he clearly didn't want a bullshit world and he fought for what he believed in, no matter the obstacles in the way.

But his thoughts went back to his friends, what did they believe in? When they were fighting a god, it was a life or death situation. If they won, they got to live. If they lost, they would perish. Now, someone else had changed the two outcomes. They made an offering almost: you can either achieve all of your goals selfishly and not of your own freewill or you can control you own fate. Ren knew what he would pick along with Goro. But his other allies…

He didn't know anymore.

The ravenette kept walking, with no real destination in his mind but his body knew the route. It was back to his home,  **no.** It was  **Leblanc,** a cafe that he slept in, not a home. All those Phantom Thieves meetings were just gatherings of people fighting for life or death. He felt broken after Goro had betrayed him, but all of his friends? It tasted bitter, worse than anything he'd ever felt. 

As he arrived at the cafe, the old warm jovial spirit it once held was no longer there. It was replaced by unease as he didn't want to enter. 

He proceeded, seeing Futaba's family joyfully cheering on the girl as she was playing a game. Sojiro and Wakaba were arguing, seemingly like a parental dispute while the orange-haired girl just laughed at the scene. Ren looked at them curtly before heading upstairs. He saw Morgana on the couch, waiting for the boy to arrive. 

"Hey, how'd it go with Akechi? You guys have been a lot closer recently, but you seem a bit distant though Ren." The cat turned human pondered. 

"I'm fine. You're happy, aren't you Morgana?" The ravenette asked back. The cat/human laughed at the strange question but he answered without hesitation. 

"Of course! I have all of you guys and I couldn't ask for a better world. Maybe one where Lady Ann and I are together though." He said jokingly but Ren didn't laugh nor smile as the boy did. Morgana did so without noticing his friend's expression. He felt hollow now and kept a monotone face. He realized that even humanity's hope was selfish. 

The entire world was selfish, weren't they? They aspired for their own goals without regard for carving it out themselves. 

Ren turned into his bed, simply just staring into the ceiling. 

_ "Wishes huh."  _ The only thought in his head lingered and only grew larger. It felt like it was about to burst with the way it repeated inside. They all wished for themselves, to feel happy, to feel free. Oh, the contradiction in such freedom! 


	2. Just Two

Ren couldn't tell if he slept a wink that night, constantly replaying the events in his head over and over to no avail. Was there something he did wrong? A miscalculation on his part that he didn't foresee? No, he felt confident in each of his decisions until this point. 

The morning light caught his attention again. It seemed like it was already the next day and Morgana had gotten up to go get breakfast but he didn't notice. 

He tore off his blanket and changed into his school clothes, it was just another day for him. He put on his glasses, typical for someone that hid away from the world. 

The ravenette went downstairs to see Sojiro, Wakaba, Morgana, and Futaba all eating the Leblanc usual curry for breakfast. 

"Hey kid, we worried you were gonna sleep in late. Here, have some curry before you have to go to school." The cafe owner offered kindly, offering the plate as a father offering something to their son. He hadn’t seen the man so at ease until this point, nor did he seem so relaxed in his demeanor towards the boy. It completely contradicted the ice-cold attributes that Ren had gotten used to when first meeting the man. Another so-called “benefit” of Maruki’s world. 

"It's really good!" Morgana said as he devoured the food without a doubt. The human’s pearly white teeth had some visible meat and rice on them but it did little to dampen its luster.

"He certainly does have an appetite, don't know how you feed us all without being in debt Sojiro," Wakaba remarked while taking another bite. 

“Oh wait, it’s because I pay for everything.” She added before Sojiro could respond and he simply sighed with a smile in defeat. 

"Mehehehe, that's because he's supported by the best scientist in the world. I couldn't ask for better family!" Futaba exclaimed while throwing a spoon of rice at the human-cat. All three of the ones sitting at the table laughed at the action and even the cat-human joined in after wiping his face off.

_ "What a loving family. This is what Futaba wanted _ ." Ren thought in his head. He composed himself before adopting an attempt at an ingenuine smile, he had never done so before but it seemed like everything was different again. It was strange for him; he was supposed to be happy for them right? They were enjoying their lives with their loved ones and doing what they aspired to do, but it didn’t do anything to quell the hesitation in the boy’s mind to join them. He couldn’t look them in the eye and pretend everything was okay. 

"Ah I actually have to get to school earlier today so I'll have to skip breakfast. I'm sure Morgana would enjoy seconds though." He said, confident that his lie would pass through their detectors. 

"Well all right, just make sure you eat something though. We worry about you Ren."

He left the cafe, removing his smile. It felt fake, every part of it. Now, he had to go to school and be around the others. It was a chance to see how happy they were in this world but he just sighed. He'd have to feign his usual self in front of them because he himself was lost. If they noticed that he was different, they would try to force him to become like them. The ravenette didn't know what he could do exactly. He tried convincing them already but they seemed inducted by happiness. But, that didn’t mean he couldn’t keep trying. They had to realize at some point, they had to notice that he wasn’t happy with this. Maybe that was selfish of him, but this wasn’t real.

The day was relatively simple, he got called on for a few questions and made small talk with Ryuji and Ann whenever they started a conversation. The only thing on his agenda was talking with Sumire who texted him to meet on the rooftop. He made his way there and noticed that it didn’t have any locks or notes that it was off-limits, simply another change for the better. 

The redhead was staring at the sky, unaware that the boy had opened the door. He thought it was a good idea to return the favor from Hawaii and snuck up on her, slowly approaching her distracted figure. 

“WAH!” He yelled before shaking her shoulders, in which she returned with a yelp and almost fell down thanks to her (adorable in Ren’s mind) clumsiness. 

Thankfully, the second-year caught her before she fell and let her return to her normal position before she looked down in shyness. 

Ren caught something different about her as he looked into her sweet red eyes, covered by glasses that he hadn’t seen before. She was shyer, more reserved, but this was Sumire. The real one that he looked forward to knowing and this was the start.

“T-thank you s-senpai, but I'm so, so sorry!" She yelped before bowing down but he quickly went to comfort her. 

"You don't have to apologize Sumire, it wasn't your fault." He said, trying to look into her eyes even though she was looking down. 

"Seeing me acting like Kasumi must have been so awkward and painful for everyone. Everyone must have noticed I was acting strangely. They were just being nice to me because she passed away but even then... I had no idea I was even supposed to be sad. I didn't realize what my coach actually meant when she said to remember who I was. I thought it was just something about my slump but I was just living my life like I didn't even care that she was gone! I can't take this shame…” She trailed off, her head going even further down onto the ground. 

"Sumire…" He gently placed his hand onto her head to comfort her, resembling a small pat. She slowly started to look up at him and he smiled, being able to see her for who she was. She was so real but so hurt at the same time, but he wouldn't let her be alone anymore. 

"You don't have to be ashamed of yourself. You did what you thought you had to, because you wanted to move forward even though it hurt so much." 

His hands moved away from her head after she finally had her head higher again. Her trembling figure slowly became at peace after she stopped the train of thought revolving around her sister's death. It haunts her constantly but whenever she was with  _ him, _ she felt like she could move past it slowly. She felt like she had someone that would always be there for her and she was so glad it was him. 

"S-senpai…"

"The best way to remember someone is to recall all the great times you had with them. Do you want to try talking about it? I can perfectly understand if you-" 

"N-no, I think that's a great idea! Thank you, I don't want t-to waste your time though." She uttered while looking down in embarrassment again. Gosh, why couldn't she just be confident and be more direct with him? She wanted to, so badly but she couldn't.

"Nonsense. Any time I don't spend with you feels like a waste of time to me~." He said flirtatiously as usual.

She turned cherry red but the two went to sit down on the chairs that were usually on the rooftop. Ren eagerly waited for her to start, simply just being happy with her presence. 

She took a deep breath and began to recollect about her sister. How Kasumi was always the confident one and always renowned for her talent. The times they got ice cream after competitions, the periods where they tried their hand at different hobbies besides gymnastics, and even stressing over homework together. It was all very sweet to Ren and he could see how close the two were. Sumire tried to disregard her own ability when compared to her but Ren reassured her that she was amazing as well. She froze up at the compliment because she wasn't used to such kindness. She trembled a little bit and he noticed that her hand was specifically frantic. 

He gently pressed his hand into hers to try to calm her down. 

"I mean it Sumire, I think you're amazing. Every time I see you perform or dance, I'm in amazement at how talented you are. Even if you were pretending to be Kasumi, that was all you deep inside." 

She felt calmer again, like a slight burden was off her shoulders. The redhead looked into his eyes and felt his reassuring eyes, so calm and honest.

"Thank you s-senpai. You're right, I'm done running away." She stood up, with a new fire in her eye. 

"W-will you keep going out with me now that I'm Sumire?" She asked, but didn't realize the implications with the wording. 

"Aww Sumire are you asking me out on a date~" He teased, which made the redhead stutter and stammer until he added onto it. 

"Mmm now I understand the type of things you've been telling your father about me. Mmm the honors student star athlete falling in love with the high school delinquent, how scandalous!" 

She kept stammering, barely being able to get out a coherent word. 

He decided to stop teasing so she didn't faint from the ordeal.

"I'm kidding Sumire, but of course I'll keep talking with you. Just let me know whenever you're free and I'd love to hang out. Sounds good?" 

She nodded, taking a deep breath to calm herself down. Everything he did made her heart beat so fast, so quick, that she didn't know what to do. It made her feel so warm and fuzzy just thinking about him, and his presence made her entire body burn up. 

They made their way downstairs but before they separated, he told her to avoid the phantom thieves for the time being. 

"Oh, is something the matter with them?" She pondered.

"Let's just say that they're dealing with a change in events thanks to Maruki but don't worry, they'll be fine eventually." He flashed another wholesome smile which caused her to blush again. He was being overly positive regarding his fellow thieves, he didn't exactly know if they would be fine in terms of what he considered okay. For the time being however, they weren't fighting against him to preserve the new world nor were they assisting him to stop it. 

He wished her well and checked his phone to see he had a text message from Ryuji and Ann in their own group chat. 

_**Ryuji: Hey man! We definitely gotta hang out sometime, you think you'll be free after 5:30 tmrw? Practice is gonna be running extra lateeee but some beef bowls sound good am I right!** _

He responded okay as his body moved without question but his mind didn't realize. It happened so quick and he groaned. Ren wasn't sure if he wanted to commit to that nor was he sure that he was ready to face his blonde friend individually so soon. Nonetheless, maybe he'd be able to remind Ryuji of what they fought for. He needed today just to get used to whatever the hell this all was and promised himself that he would confront the issues the next day. There were more important things to worry about nonetheless.

  
  


Ren stopped to think for a bit. He had to talk to Goro about their infiltration plan for the palace later but he hadn't messaged him yet. He sighed but he knew he would contact him eventually. He went to head to the station but he spotted Makoto with an older man that looked quite similar to her, none other than her father of course. 

He was a tall man that had the same brown hair as her, but the man had a quite stern face. It seemed as if they were analyzing some sort of newspaper together and were caught in a thought provoking conversation, but the third-year seemed so at ease. It looked like this was just a normal everyday occasion, speaking with her father over current events. 

He continued on his way, he didn’t want to interrupt the moment and started to walk home before he got a message from a certain detective. 

**_Goro: Does my apartment work for our meeting? We’ll discuss all the details there so we won’t be interrupted, I’ll see you at 6._ **

**_Ren: That works by me. It’ll just be the two of us however, I don’t think Sumire should join us considering what she’s been through._ **

**_Goro: I wasn’t considering her a part of our efforts regardless._ **

The brunette sent his address to the boy and he put it into his phone. It was actually quite close to Shujin, which meant that he had to turn back and go to the station again. Ren was left alone with his thoughts but this time he ignored the doubts he had. For the time being, his focus had to be on the palace and making progress rather than think about his friends. It didn’t make sense but it only got worse the more he thought about it. They weren’t hurting his progress as of yet which meant that he would be fine. He’d just overcome the problem, the same as usual. Or so he hoped. 

Ren entered the apartment complex and its warm inviting atmosphere felt quite contradictory to Goro’s true nature. It gave him a genuine chuckle seeing the happy decorations and the festive spirit inside the place as he made his way to the second floor, where the detective resided. After knocking once, he entered. 

Messy dishes, spasticc newspapers, and clothes splattered hazily all caught his eye but he focused on the brunette who was sitting at the table. He showed his usual sinister smile to the boy and had two cups of coffee ready, one on his side of the table and another on the open side with the vacant chair. 

“Good, you’re here. Let’s discuss what we know so far.” The brunette sipped his coffee while the ravenette took his seat. 

“Your apartment looks like shit.” He quipped while tasting the coffee. It was bitter, dreadful even but it amused him. For all of Goro’s so-called ‘perfections’ captured on television, he was a slob at heart. 

“Hm, coming from the jailbird living in an attic?” The detective fired back, he at least had a sense of humor when it was the two of them. He certainly couldn’t stand his rival’s confidants nor their overly positive demeanor. 

“At least that place is clean. I think mice live in some of the bowls you neglected over there.” He pointed to the sink.

Even Goro had to laugh at that one.

“Back to the task at hand… I think we should infiltrate the palace on a daily basis if we want to stand a chance against Maruki. Without consistent members and rotation, we can’t operate in our typical schedule. Similarly, they would get suspicious if we were to go to the metaverse during our usual times. Which means that-” 

“We would infiltrate the palace at night.” Goro finished his rival’s sentence. 

He nodded, finishing the rest of the coffee. 

They’ve never invaded a palace or entered the metaverse any other time besides after school, even on weekends. It just was a habit that stuck and they didn’t exactly know why. Going at night would be the most convenient for Goro as he still had duties to uphold most of the day and frustrations to vent out with the shadows. Similarly, Ren still had to try to convince his friends through the day to see through the lies placed upon them during that time and they would most likely want to hang out. It was best if they didn’t see what he was doing, so the night seemed like a good idea. However, Sojiro might cause a ruckus if he were to see the boy coming home at 3 am but he was probably enjoying his life with Wakaba and Futaba. 

“Looks like the meetings adjourned then. Let’s discuss strategy for our fights.” Ren added, getting up to place the mug neatly on the glass table top to be washed later. 

“I can provide the support but I don’t have any healing abilities on Loki or Robinhood. I’ll leave those to you since you have an abundance of Personas.” 

“Fine by me. We should probably prepare if we’re going to go to the palace today. I’ll stock up on our items and weapons we might need. By any chance, would you be able to get your hands on these items?” Ren reached for one of the papers sticking out of Goro’s briefcase and a pen lying on the table. 

He scribbled the specifics of what he needed and handed it to him. 

The boy skimmed through it before laughing like a maniac.    
  


“Really? This… Of all the things you could ask for, I didn’t expect anything like that. I can easily get access to all of these without any issues. I do have to wonder what you intend to do with it.” 

“A grand finale or a last resort, it all depends on how we do.” He shrugged. 

The boy took the answer, much more focused on the top item of the list. They departed to meet in front of the palace in a few hours, needing to focus on preparations for the task.

Ren went to the airsoft shop and bought what he needed for his partner and himself, briefly talking with the owner and Karou. They seemed normal at least, maybe they already had everything they wanted? Or maybe Maruki only fulfilled a select few individuals. He wasn’t exactly aware of what he could do with his power except bringing back the dead and brainwashing people. Stepping out of the shop, he expected to see the Velvet Room with Lavenza waiting for him to enter but neither were there. Everyone seemed to flake on him now. 

He sighed and went about getting other supplies from Takemi and some bottled coffee in case they needed some energy in the palace. After finalizing everything he needed, he went to go meet the detective.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah another chapter, things happen ya know. Also, updates for ABWP are gonna be rarer maybe and this will be more frequent. Not as frequent as how fast I uploaded this, but more often than the other one hahaha. Let me know your thoughts in the comments and etc!


	3. Hey Look Ma, I Made It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren and Goro enter the palace only to see something they didn't anticipate.

“Good, you’re here. I brought the things you’ve requested along with the more ‘specific’ things in my briefcase.” Goro stated while giving a glance to the boy. He was still in his usual position, standing firmly against the concrete wall of the facility. He had brought two backpacks of items along with his briefcase, the former brimming with materials that the leader had requested.

The ravenette took a glance at the bag before opening it up. His eyes searched through to make sure the content matched the mental list he had concocted earlier. What was he plotting exactly with steel, lock picks, and expensive raw materials exactly? Nothing too important except testing a certain theory. Likewise, Goro’s briefcase had exactly the content he was hoping for. Sure, it was a drastic measure if everything went south but it would be for the best. 

“You ready?” Ren asked before picking up one of the backpacks.

The brunette nodded, grabbing the other one alongside his briefcase. The two began their walk into the palace, the silence only emphasizing the focus the two had towards their mission. Within moments, they were in.

Ren had taken one of the blank maps from the backpack into his pocket and took it out. It was blank obviously and he skimmed the details of it as they made their way through the preliminary parts of the passageways. The details of the palace shifted significantly thanks to the time of day. It was ominous with the lack of outside lighting, it lacked the bright atmosphere that housed a kindred spirit before. It might seem discomforting to any of the other phantom thieves but strangely, Ren felt at ease. It was darker with the shift but it felt more… discreet. 

It felt like this was what being a vigilante was. The dark setting, the lack of a huge group. All of it felt normal somehow. The two hadn’t said many words to each other, their communication deemed unrequired thanks to the two having a similar state in mind taking in the details. 

The shadows were in a different state of mind now that it was an unilluminated area, searching through to see if there were any intruders hazily. After plotting the initial details, the two went into the safe room. 

“Leave your briefcase here. We’ll come back for it once we are close to the treasure, but for now, we won’t need it.” Ren stated while dropping off some of the unnecessary items in the backpack onto the ground. They weren’t needed at the moment but it’d be easier to have them somewhere safe. He wanted to test a theory nonetheless and got out the materials for a Goho-M but replaced some of the necessities with a higher grade standard courtesy of Goro. He had been curious to see if he could make it more potent somehow, to be able to use it anytime in the palace to escape without any issues. 

He noticed how dangerous it was trying to escape after stealing someone’s distorted desires and didn’t want to risk anything. But he would be able to test that later. For the time being, they needed to plot out the other parts of the palace. They left certain belongings and departed, opting to stick to the darkness and maneuvering them effectively. If there were any shadows, they quickly disposed of it without any issue. 

There was one more thing Ren wanted to test as well nonetheless. 

It had been lingering on his mind ever since the start of his Phantom Thieving journey but he felt like none of his friends would have been as willing as Goro would have been with the proposal. It was certainly a bit brutal but they were shadows, not people. 

“You’ve seen what happens when I unmask a shadow correct?” The ravenette asked.

“Yes, they emerge from them within moments. Why?” 

“They’re vulnerable for a few moments as soon as their mask is unveiled. If one were to slash their heads as they grasp onto it, it would most likely kill them immediately or severely damage them when they transform. Considering how there are two of us and my grappling hook…” He trailed off as Goro roared with chaotic laughter. 

“Not even giving them a chance. Perfect.” He muttered while getting ready to test it out. They stuck to the shadows and spotted one poor shadow in a lab coat searching the narrow hallway. Within a second, the boy swung across the hallway through the air and ripped off the mask. Goro sprinted across and slashed through the shadow’s head, leaving a clean cut that took it off as if it was butter. 

“This will certainly make it much easier.” The brunette muttered. 

The two repeated the process for a while as the shadows usually came by themselves, occasionally in groups but the two were more than experienced enough to deal with it. Ren did feel a bit annoyed with the lack of fusing his Personas nonetheless. But it did make him question something in his head. If all of his bonds with his friends were currently falsified in the new reality, would that mean he no longer has their fusion bonus or even access to their ultimate versions? 

Furthermore, he was curious about Goro having other abilities as a wild card beside his two personas. Would he be able to gain new ones if he formed bonds? The only one he had was with him and he certainly didn’t like any of his friends. Ryuji and Morgana certainly weren’t eager to see their leader and his murderer hang out. Likewise, Ann and Yusuke were distrusting towards him for obvious reasons. Makoto had a bit of jealousy towards the boy’s intelligence besides the overwhelming distrust. Haru and Futaba… 

The only one Goro might have been indifferent to was Sumire but even then, he didn’t trust her. After she was revealed to be brainwashed, he wasn’t exactly discreet about the look he gave her, it was the look he gave towards nuisances that he disposed of. In the end, it meant that Goro only really had Ren as an ally and as a friend, not that he’d ever admitted it. 

Rendering the proposed question pointless, he didn’t bother to bring it up. The two ran into a crowd of about 12 shadows with Goro almost falling into a fit of madness as he hacked and slashed through them. 

“Yes. YES. YESS! What’s that Joker, 38 for me, 38 for you? All these deaths are thrilling.” Crow shouted with glee. Ren weaved his way through one of the shadows before using some of his acrobatic abilities to roll behind it and shoot it in the head. The only monster left was a massive, dick-shaped shadow that he couldn’t find an official name for. Goro’s support was helpful but quite limited compared to Futaba’s ability. While they were finishing up the shadow, Ren heard a whisper almost. It was faint, but it had a distinct familiarity with it. It was like someone was pleading for him to listen to whatever it was saying. 

“...e….n…..someone….”

“Do you hear that?” He asked while shooting his gun at the shadow. 

“Your gun? Of course I can hear the bullets, you clown.” He fired back while stabbing the dick chariot. 

“I meant the voice, we’ll investigate it after we finish this off.” They quickly disposed of it and looted whatever items they dropped. Ren tried to pinpoint where exactly he heard the noise, trying to retrace where the sound emerged. He gazed around the wide-open room they were in, with multiple open passage-ways leading to different outcomes. But what was it trying to tell him? What was the noise? 

He deduced that it was from their right. 

“It’s that way.” 

The two went towards the direction but noticed the bare lighting got even worse. The corridor shrunk as they kept going, the darkness feeling suffocating as its grip got harsher on the boys’ eyes. Goro had been used to complete darkness, it was sustainable to him personally so he kept following without any qualms. 

The voice got louder but it was still so hard to distinguish. 

“....mo….please…..fuck……..dad” 

It got louder now as if they were so close to it. 

“...come…..back…….why……”

It was impossible to see where they were walking. It was pitch black and it just felt like they were walking aimlessly, a maze that forced you to walk in a giant circle at the end. 

Ren stopped for a bit which led Goro to follow as well. Before he could even question the leader, a bombardment of bright lights penetrated their eyes. It was like someone dropped a miniature sun in a dimly lit closet or as Goro would put it, it fucking burned their eyes like moths to a flame. 

"What, the fuck?" The detective shouted while grabbing his eyes. 

"It's similar to a flash bomb. I felt something unusual hence why I stopped, slowly let your eyes adjust." His rival advised.

"I'm going to kill the doctor if he lays more traps like this." He muttered with murderous intent as usual. 

As soon as the light dissipated, the boys caught themselves in a completely different environment. The new setting was a small apartment that looked cozy and comforting despite its very small size. However, the initial moments of comfort vanished once the boys focused their attention on the people inside of the home. It was a black-haired child holding what, looked to be his mother, for comfort as she had been bleeding out. Her head seemed to have been hit by a glass bottle and she seemed dazed and confused. It wasn't exactly a minor flesh wound as her wounds produced a red stream that was staining the hardwood floors. The boy was tearing as he hugged onto her for support and there was a phone next to him. It seemed as if he had already dialed 911.

The boy's sobs were heartbreaking to hear. It was desperate as he clung onto the hope that she would be okay, not knowing what to do as he just hoped and prayed. Ren couldn't get a good look at the boy but it felt so familiar to him. Like it was calling out to him with who it was. 

He took a step forward and the black-haired kid began to speak. "It's my fault ma, I'm sorry. I should've protected you but I couldn't do anything." 

Ren took one more step forward while Goro just stared a hole into the boy's existence. The boy spoke again.

"I promise ma, I don't want you to ever be in pain like this again. I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." The boy began to cry, even more, his expression lost as the droplets began to fall on his mother's face. Her face twinged a bit as she slowly began to gain consciousness again, eyes barely fluttering to see her son looking over her. 

She barely got the words out, piece by piece. "I-it's o-okay R- **ryuji.** " 

Her words shocked Ren. If he was his blonde best friend. But, what the hell was he doing here? What was this? How the hell was he seeing this? 

The boy spoke once more. "I promise, I'm gonna make ya proud. Even if dad's not here anymore, you're all I need. I'm so sorry…" 

The world froze for a moment except for the two phantom thieves that we're still able to move. 

They found themselves back where they originally felt the bombardment of light, a desperate look of confusion donning Ren's face. 

"You saw that right?" He questioned, his composure almost reaching a moment of panic. Everything in there felt too real. 

"If you're referring to that strange scene then yes. I'm unsure of why we were shown that but don't let it cloud your mind. We have more important things to worry about." He easily disregarded the event without any issue. He couldn't care less about anything that was not involving the two but he did find it annoying that they were forced to watch it. 

The two turned back toward the original path that had led them to the darkness and went back to find a different way through to the next place. 

Besides their careful footsteps, there wasn't any other noise. No other voices except the ones in the ravenette's mind as he tried to figure out what happened. It seemed as if it was a reproduction of a moment in Ryuji's childhood. But, it felt so real. Each and every second of it felt like it was seeing it live. How the hell did the doctor access that moment though? Why did he show it to them? 

Thinking back to when they first entered, he remembered the television screen showing Sumire's memories and recollections of what happened to her. Each detail was as gory as it could have been in actuality. Her sister was murdered by the car and he didn't spare a detail from being shown to the party. The picture of her sister winning a meet and thanking Sumire, with the promise of the two of them being on top of the gymnastics world. Maybe the doctor could access memories and be able to show them. If he could do so and he chose to do it, then the doctor was sick. Trying to show specific moments of one's private life just to prove his point. He had no right to do so and he chose to do it just because he felt he had the reasoning to. All because he didn't want anyone to suffer. Bullshit. 

They kept moving forward and eliminated some more shadows into their path before they saw another dark corridor that they had to pass if they were expected to progress. 

"Fantastic. Did he specifically design these to be such a pain in the ass?" The brunette complained as they made their way through another similar experience.

They decided to cover their eyes as they made their way through, hoping that they wouldn't see another flash bomb. 

It didn't exactly help as another one plummeted on their existence. 

"This is fucking bullshit."

Again, the boys found themselves in the presence of another memory flashback of sorts. This time, they were at Shujin Academy and the track team was running laps. Ryuji and the rest of them seemed exhausted, constantly speeding across the terrain without a bit of rest.

_ 'What kind of coach would allow this brutality to the athletes?'  _ Ren pondered before his eyes met the tall, shovel chinned asshole named Kamoshida. His eyes grew cold seeing the piece of shit standing as he barked orders to the boys, seeming to enjoy the torture he was inflicting on them. For some reason, Ren wasn't able to hear anything that was happening. The voices, they seemed mute. They seemed distinct as if there were no visible sounds exciting their mouths but he was still able to understand what was happening without it. 

Kamoshida roared at Ryuji and they seemed to shepherd insults within each statement. The boy looked like he was losing his composure while running, continuously showing visible anger with each passing second. Eventually, he walked right over to Kamoshida and the man just continued to look down on the track star. They hated each other and Ren had a feeling what was going to happen next. 

A minute later, Ryuji had lost any doubts about what he was about to do. Kamoshida uttered one sentence that seemed to break the straw on the camel's back. It was in slow motion to Ren as the track star raised his fist towards the teacher's face in milliseconds, each frame seeming to enlarge Kamoshida's smile until it eventually went back to normal speed when the man caught the punch. Immediately throwing a sucker punch, the man kicked Ryuji to the ground. What happened next forced Ren to try to run towards the man. Shovel chin was about to break the boy's leg and he couldn't watch it happen but again, the pair were forced back to where they were before the flashback. 

Ren grunted in frustration as they were back right where they were before. 

"Is he trying to make us pity your friend? If so, he's doing a terrible job of it so far. I couldn't care less about these trivial reminders of your friends being weak." Goro muttered as he made his way forward. 

They were about halfway through the process before another flash of light forced them to a new scene. It seemed different than the other two. It didn't feel like a flashback for some reason. The air was different as it seemed more vivid with possibilities, of things that were yet to occur. Even the lighting of the place was bright and dynamic, seeming to shift the mood towards a chipper tone rather than the somber ones in the memories. But the two didn't fall under the impression that this was good. Ren felt like he had goosebumps as they found themselves back in the same house as before, but it was completely different somehow. It felt warmer, more positive, and reassuring that everything was going to be okay. Ryuji's mother was cooking dinner as it was only the three of them in the room. Within moments, Ryuji had busted through the door with excitement. 

Unlike the previous memory, Ren was able to hear what was happening this time. 

"Hey mom! They offered me a full ride to a college as long as I agreed to run track for them! They didn't even care about my crappy grades, they said I was a perfect candidate!" The boy shouted as he waved around the letter with a vigor that the boy had grown so used to seeing. 

"Ryuji…" This time, her mother teared up in happiness and embraced her son. It seemed like she was so proud of him for what he did. This reminded him of when Ryuji told him and Yusuke of what happened after Kamoshida broke his leg. His mom broke down, her expression being downcast as she felt disappointed in herself for being a single mom. She felt like a failure and it ate Ryuji up. In this scenario, it seemed like his leg was never hurt. He still remained a star and was going to attend college without burdening his mother. She would've been seen as an amazing mother that raised a gem of a boy if he made it as a fantastic runner.

Taking a deep sigh, Ren realized what this signified. He assumed that this was what would happen in this reality eventually, a premonition of the future in this false world. It was pleading out for him to accept this lie if he wanted to let his friends live the life they desired.

Suddenly, a voice emerged from the walls somehow. It was as if loudspeakers were built into them as Maruki's voice began to commentate his thoughts. 

"Sakamoto-kun had always wanted to make his mom proud but he couldn't accomplish his dreams with his injured leg. In this world, the track team is still going strong and he's leading them to success. Don't you think it's unfair that he was cheated of his dreams like that? This is the best situation for him. Don't tell me you want to take away his mother's happiness for him like that." The doctor's words seemed to only make Ren angrier that he would try to force his hand like this. Guilt-tripping him to accept this? He seemed to get more and more despicable but Ren tried to calm down. This was a palace ruler, not the actual Maruki. Or so he hoped. 

"We refuse to." The boy responded, firm in his position nonetheless. 

The world seemed to shift again. Now Ryuji was facing the two as the scene became the track at Shujin, where they used to run all the time whenever they hung out. Ryuji seemed to be normal except he was in his workout clothes and he looked disappointed. He looked at the ravenette directly in the eye. 

The blonde began to speak. "Can't you be happy for me man? This is everything I wanted! My leg's all good and all of us are doing great. Why aren't you accepting it? We're never going to have to worry about anything. Just stop resisting dude!" He pleaded, desperation making the boy even more jumpy than usual. 

Ren simply nodded no and Goro seemed to glare at the blonde without any feelings of remorse. 

"So this is what he thinks of Ryuji hm. He really thinks we're that weakly willed." Ren said with a bit of despair sneaking into his words. He knew that this wasn't the real Ryuji. It couldn't be. There was no way he was this desperate to live in this hell hole of a place. 

"It doesn't matter. Ignore the pleas of puppets, the puppetmaster is the one we're after no?" Goro retorted. 

"Hey, who ya callin a puppet? You're really siding with Akechi huh. After everything we've been through, you're picking your murderer over your best bro that's always been there for you?" 

Ren sighed again. He seemed to be going through so much mental anguish, he might actually need a therapist. But after this whole Maruki thing, he wouldn't really feel inclined to see one. 

"You're not real and I'm certainly not siding with anything besides the truth Ryuji. Even if you're not real, this still feels like something I have to say to you. I know you, but do you really know me?" He asked, shocking Ryuji with how absurd the question seemed to him. 

"What? Of course I do! We've always had each other's back, how could I not know you?" 

"Really? What kind of best friend leaves their other friend alone like this? What kind of friend turns to their own desires and wishes rather than the true world they could have. You're just running away from the problem because you're too scared to confront what's been bothering you."

He stepped up to Ryuji.

"You're a coward right now." 

  
  


"This isn't the Ryuji I know and I'm not going to be manipulated into believing that this is you. Nice try Dr. Maruki." He stated effortlessly. Ryuji's eyes were still in shock as he eventually began to fade away. The doctor's cognition of the blonde seemed to disappear now that Ren had confronted his feelings about his friend. Of course it wasn't him, but he needed to say those words. He didn't know if the real Ryuji was brainwashed or if he was selfish but he wasn't going to let a fake person tell him his friend's true feelings. 

"I see. So it seems like you're going to ignore Sakamoto-kun's wishes because of your own." The doctor muttered as the door to the next part of the palace opened. 

"Does everything need to be so overly emotional for you? You could've just cut him down and got it over with instead of dragging it on for so long. What a waste of time." Goro marched forward but he had a bad feeling in his mind. His thoughts went back to seeing Ryuji's mother on the ground bleeding out and it was a stark reminder of his own childhood. Of his mother bleeding out and dying. Of her killing herself slowly, prostituting herself to be able to sustain a living for both of them until the faded day when she ended it all. The blood creeping onto the floor was identical to how it was for him. A noticeable frown appeared on his face as he waited for Ren to catch up. The boy spotted the difference between Goro being annoyed at the events and him remembering a bad memory. 

Seeing that he couldn't care about Ryuji but that he could relate somewhat to his story, he inferred that it was something regarding his family. Considering his distaste for Shido, he assumed that it was his mother who had died when Goro was quite young. He mentioned that his mother had taken her life but… Was he the one that discovered her body? If so, then dear God. 

"Bad memory?" He asked, trying not to ask too much considering that the brunette was not a fan of sharing too many details. However, it was only the two of them since Maruki had stopped listening to them after leaving the big room. He felt like he had a good chance of opening up considering the conditions. 

"Must you always be the ear to everyone's problems? At this rate, you might be a better therapist than the doctor." He quipped with sarcasm but he sighed before he began his explanation. 

Goro trusted him and he supposed he might as well tell him what was on his mind lest the ravenette question him more. He'd rather just admit it than be pounded with questions. 

"The first scene we saw…"

"It was eerily similar to when I saw my mother lying dead. It doesn't matter now since it was just a scene we saw, but it enraged me. Disgusted me even. As much as I despise your peers, I'd rather not know their life stories." 

"I wouldn't want anyone seeing my memories nor do I condone the probing of one's mind like that. Especially when he was just using them to his own benefit, almost a pawn in the chess game of his against us. Regardless, I'm glad you didn't fall under his bullshit. I worried that you were going to fold under the pressure of your 'precious' friendships." The last part came off as vehemently as he intended but the leader didn't really pay it to mind.

"I'm not going to fold nor would I betray our friendship." 

The brunette seemed to roar in laughter at hearing that. Friends? Oh what a comedian he was! Or so Goro would say if he felt it wasn't true but he knew that was the reality. Ren was the only person he could trust because they were one in the same. When everything went to shit, he would be the only one he would ever back. What was it exactly that connected them? Maybe it was because their fates diverged but connected at the same time. They were foils of one another yet they were close. Hell, they were both quite violent at times if needed be. The only difference being that the ravenette could control himself while Goro flourished in the blood. 

Life truly had been strange. 

After reaching the next safe room, Ren filled out the map accordingly and Goro had made a dent in the safe room vent. He took off the cover and checked it's interior to make sure it connected to their first saferooms. All of the saferooms allowed you to travel seamlessly to one another as long as you discovered it. Plotting where the vents lead to with the map helped them go to one and another without any real problem. 

"We've made decent progress. We aren't exactly close to anything yet but this is quite good for one day with just the two of us. We should start heading back to the real world now." 

"Hm, don't tell me you're tired already." 

"Not at all but it's best we understand all the information we have ahead of time. Plus I still have to make sure my caregiver doesn't have me arrested. We've been here for quite a while."

"If you really are that concerned, move out of your attic. I don't exactly think you can make discreet tools in the current setting without some questions being raised. There are several apartment complexes near your school and that would provide cover for you while being by yourself." The brunette proposed. 

"That's a great idea. You wouldn't happen to be able to use your detective status and relay one to me, would you?"

He looked at him with a deadpan. 

"I'm a detective, not a realtor." He said simply, causing the two to crack up. It wasn't exactly too funny but it at least made it more pleasant. 

"I suppose I'll just use whatever funds I have to buy one. Considering the atrocity known as your home, we'll use mine as homebase. I'll try to buy it tomorrow and set it up before we start our operations if that works with you." The ravenette planned. 

"Applicable to my standards. I still expect us to have coffee before I arrive. Considering it as a guaranteed start to our missions." 

Ren nodded and the two began to depart from the palace. It was still dark but for some reason, he felt hopeful. It went better than they expected and he was able to confront his thoughts about Ryuji even if it wasn't the real him. He felt like he could talk to him without fear any longer, he didn't feel fear now as he was curious to see his friend's thoughts on the new reality. Even if he wanted to indulge in this lie a bit longer, Ren wouldn't care. He saw what he had been through and what he wanted so badly, but he knew that he wouldn't force his friend to do anything like that. He simply wanted to help him see things of his own accord. If he couldn't, then Ren and Goro would just have to do it by themselves. 

Ren waved the boy goodbye as they made it back to the real world, with the boy hesitating before giving one back. He lacked reciprocating social cues in his true nature. Regardless, Ren checked his phone to see that he had a message from Sumire and a missed call from her. It was about an hour ago and he immediately called back, curious about what was up.

"Sumire?" 

"S-senpai! Oh thank god, I'm sorry for calling. I-i u-umm…" She tried to find the right words to ask what she intended to but he patiently waited. He found it so cute when she was flustered and each moment felt relaxing with her. 

"I-i was wondering w-what your favorite c-color is." She asked, hesitating between each word. Her heart felt like it was about to burst simply just hearing his voice. She was in bed but she couldn't sleep until she talked to him. The redhead worried about him and needed to hear his voice to feel comforted. He was the light that brought her back from the darkness of her own self and she fretted over him constantly in her head. Sumire wanted to know more about him as she felt selfish that he was always there for her, but she wasn't. She wanted- no, she needed to know him more and she thought that this was the start. 

“A bit out of the blue, what made you want to ask?”

“O-oh, sorry I just wanted to know you better. I feel really bad that I just tell you everything about myself, I feel so selfish…” 

"I don’t think that’s selfish Sumire, that’s how people get closer. My favorite color hm? Well I'd say it's a tie between two really." 

"O-oh, w-which would those two be s-senpai?" 

He adopted a grin before finding a way to tease her eventually. "Well the first one is black. My hair's always been unkempt and in my eyes, which lead to my parents matching it with black clothes. It grew on me from there but I've always had a color I've liked forever. Would you like to guess what it is Sumire?" 

She thought about it for a minute, thinking about all the different things about him. He had beautiful eyes that were reminiscent of a stormy blue and gray sky so maybe that could be it? But he also did wear so many different clothes that fit him so well along with him being so unique. She had no clue.

"No luck?" He asked her before she sighed and confirmed her being stumped.

"It's red. Always loved seeing it everywhere. From roses, to cherries and most specifically one thing that always make me gaze in amazement. Their hair is red, they have gorgeous red eyes, and their cheeks always have more than a little tiny hue of red in them. Hmmm I wonder who it could be~" He teased before she started stuttering on the line. 

"What's your favorite color?" He asked back.

"I-i love both those colors too! I-i'm glad you like them too, senpai. I'm sorry for bothering you, did I wake you up?" She apologized again, but he reassured her.

"Oh no sorry, I didn't see your message until now because…" He trailed off realizing that he didn't want to admit he was in Maruki's palace as of yet. He didn't want to worry her right before she slept but he didn't want to lie to her either. He trusted her and she trusted him, he certainly didn't want to betray that especially when she was so torn up at the moment. 

"I was in Maruki's palace with Goro." 

"O-oh. Wait, it was just you two? Why didn't the other phantom thieves help?" She pondered. 

"They're complacent with how the world is at the moment. Only you, Goro, and I are the ones against him it seems." 

"I-i should be there helping you but I just slowed you down last time. I can help you two tomorrow!" She tried to say with confidence but her voice struggled to finish the sentence. 

"Sumire…" He was touched by how strong she was. She was willing to come back and right now that she knew some of the details but he didn't want to endanger her yet. She was a tough cookie but he wanted to let her heal before she made a decision. Goro and he would be able to handle most of the palace without any issue and he wouldn't put her in peril in her current state. 

"It's okay, Goro and I are being strategic about it. We know the others will wake up sooner than later and help out. For now, I want you to stay safe and heal okay? I know you can handle it but I just want you to be okay." 

His sweet words and tone helped calm down the panic evident in her voice. 

"O-okay. B-but can you promise me that you'll stay s-safe? I-i can't l-lose y-you t-too." She felt like she was going to cry just thinking about the thought. Not being able to see his face, his smile, his words of encouragement, and teasing that always made her feel so special. Whenever his eyes were on her, she didn't want it to end.

"I promise Sumire, I'll always be there for you. Good night, sweet dreams." He said without a doubt in his mind. He meant it. He wouldn't ever leave her side to be alone again. It broke his heart at the thought of it and he wasn't going to lose to his guidance counselor playing god. 

"T-thank you s-senpai. Good night!" 

The call ended and suddenly, Ren felt like there were fewer questions lingering in his head. The air was nice and the sky was still dark but he felt confident. He wasn't going to lose and he didn't intend to lose anyone else in his life. Maybe he’d actually be able to sleep tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The author's notes are going to become redundant sooner than later. They don't exactly tell you anything and most just glance over them so no real point in saying anything on here.


	4. Mother

The sky was so beautiful when it was dark outside. The gleam from the moon just felt so right to Ren, he couldn’t picture a better way to walk home after talking with Sumire and making some decent progress in the palace with Goro. For the time being, they were the only two people that he could trust and rely on. They were the only ones fighting against a false reality at the moment, but that had to change. Eventually, right? He held onto that hope, for his friends had always fought for what they believed in. At first, he did feel betrayed but their bonds were strong. Spending a whole year together with them had shown him how close they were, and it was their time to prove to him and everyone else that friendship would prevail over selfishness eventually. 

He made his way home to Leblanc to see that the lights were out and that it was already locked up; it had reached 12:45 by the time Ren had made it back. He assumed that Morgana was asleep upstairs as he jostled the key into the lock and made his way up. 

Morgana was already passed out on the couch so Ren took his place inside his bed after changing from his winter outfit. The blanket provided some sentimental bits of warmth but the teen’s mind went back to what he saw in the palace. Confronting a perception of a close friend was certainly not easy, but Ryuji was one of the first people he met in his new life here. They related so strongly as outcasts of the school and their resolve to fight evil reached new heights with each operation. Seeing flashbacks of his childhood certainly showed him a side of the blonde that he had been unaware of. The former runner did not want to join the track team again even after helping them start anew, but it seemed like he still wanted to run. He still wanted to make his mother proud, as much as she was when he was still a part of the team. But, was that desire strong enough for him to want it to prevail over what he had back then? 

Thinking of everyone’s desires… Everyone had gotten what they wished for but Ren wondered what exactly Maruki was hoping to gain from this. Did he just want everyone to be happy and have their fates controlled to avoid suffering? But he thought back to when he was helping the doctor with his research, the bits of information regarding his personal life. Wait…. 

Something was missing from the puzzle that Ren crafted for himself. There had to be some event that caused Maruki pain. Some events that he ran from because he didn't want him or someone he cared for, to suffer. But who could it be?

He mulled over it as he tossed and turned over the night.

_ "So goes the hope for a peaceful night. What could have changed the doctor's life?"  _

He remembered meeting one of Maruki's colleagues at the buffet and they were reminiscent of their college years. The mood for the dining was quite jovial and warm except one specific instance, where they mentioned the doctor's fiance… After a few minutes of trying to recollect, some of it clicked into his head. Her name was Rumi and they alluded to her meeting an unfortunate fate. It wasn't exactly the sense that she died, but something traumatic happened to her perhaps. Maybe she did meet an unfortunate fate but he couldn't say. Regardless, it felt like she was key to Maruki's reasoning for the world. 

_ "That could be it,"  _ Ren thought. 

His mind wandered off recollecting the scenes of Ryuji's memories and his cognitive desires. The sheer conviction in that cognition's voice, the desire to keep living in his eyes, it was powerful to Ren. But hope couldn't die yet. Tomorrow was a new day for him to convince him, to convince him that his mother would be proud of Ryuji without the track scholarship. 

The night passed without any issues except Ren being disappointed by no velvet room dreams. No Igor or Lavenza to give a cryptic message and an explanation for anything. No prisoner clothing or anything, just the empty dreams coming and passing without any issue.

Ren rubbed his eyes when the light came into his room, waking up earlier than Morgana even though he slept much later than the boy. He took a glance in the mirror to see his eyes with a smaller droop than usual, it seemed as if he was still missing a few hours but it didn't matter too much. Changing into his school uniform, he went downstairs to see Sojiro brewing coffee and making some curry again for a 'family' breakfast. 

"Ah you're up, wanna lend me a hand before Wakaba and Futaba arrive? It's been a while since you've helped out, you know." He said in an amused tone.

Ren chuckled, a bit half-hearted. "Yeah, no problem. Just a bit uh, caught up in things lately." He replied before putting on the apron. It still fit as normal without any problem and got to cutting some ingredients. 

"Well, I think that's good. Just make sure you stay out of trouble kid, can't imagine what it would be without you here." Sojiro remarked softly, kinder than anything Ren could have remembered the cook saying.

"Thanks…" Ren trailed off a bit deciding whether or not he should say Sojiro or 'dad', he was being treated with such familiarity. Did Maruki grant a wish of wanting a parental bond between Ren and Sojiro? Was that what Sojiro or himself wanted? He couldn't exactly say, but the teen decided that just using the cook's name would be best. 

"... Sojiro." The ravenette finished while stirring the pot. He didn't miss Sojiros brief stutter and a tiny hurt look before the man recollected himself and smiled. The older man gave a warm grin with a "you're welcome". 

"How's Futaba doing?" Ren asked. He knew the girl was ecstatic hanging out with her mother again, especially with Sojiro and Wakaba having some sort of relationship going on most likely. They were the two most important people in her life, having them back and close would easily be her one desire. She never would have become isolated by herself with her mother still around. She never would have overcome her problems with the help of Ren. Never having any problem to solve would mean that she never had to grow, she never had to struggle to get over her trauma. Was that really, good? Taking away all the problems from someone and never allowing them to struggle sounded good, but it also meant that one never overcame their actual issues. They were just playing pretend, and Maruki was using a corpse playing dress-up.

His thoughts into the matter dissipated with Sojiro's response. 

"Weird question, Futaba's doing as good as she always does but she did wish you hung out with Wakaba and her more often. It's been a while since we've had dinner all together and been to a place, hasn't it?" Ren nodded as an acknowledgment of his question. He had not hung out with them for a good reason. The ravenette didn't know how to interact with Wakaba nor was he eager to try it. What was there to talk about? "Oh hey aren't you dead?" was the only thing he could think when he saw her alive. 

"How about we all get sushi sometime to celebrate? You could even bring your girlfriend you've been hiding from us. Futaba mentioned that you've been hanging out with a few ladies lately, glad to see you're picking up all the lessons of winning a lady's heart." He said the last bit with humor and a hoo boy at the end of it. 

"I don't know what you're talking about." He quipped back but dear God did it hurt to do it for some reason. It still didn't feel right but he could pretend it was okay for a bit. 

"Oh playing coy? I understand I was the same way back when I was your age. But anyway, how's Saturday work for you? We could go to that expensive sushi place we went a while ago." 

"Sounds… good." Sojiro didn't seem to notice the hesitation in his voice but they went back to cooking. In about twenty minutes, they had breakfast ready for all five of them. 

After serving it on the table, the bell from the doors jingled as Wakaba and Futaba walked in. 

"The smell was so good, we could feel it from our house!" The orange-haired girl yelled in delight before going to devour the curry on the table. 

Wakaba laughed at the display before sitting down next to the girl, exchanging some remarks with Sojiro that Ren didn't care to hear. He could hear the sounds going into his ears, but it didn't go into his brain. Was it, a lack of care perhaps? Did he just not care about the display? Maybe. 

"Soooo Ren, how'd it go with Sumire? You two were really happy on the rooftop weren't you mwhehehehe. " The orange-haired girl started cackling with the confusion present on his face. 

“How did you- Oh wait, you still have trackers on my phone.” He sighed and messed with some of the curls drifting over his eye. Of course, she was listening to his conversations, but he assumed that she was only looking for the ones to use against him. In this reality, she was most likely trusting towards Goro so she wouldn’t care to look in their conversations. However, Sumire and some of the other friends he had would be more likely to reveal details that could be used as teasing material. She was smart enough to realize that the detective didn’t have anything fun to talk about with Ren so it made sense that she didn’t confront him if she were to hear their conversations. 

Morgana finally awoke and made his way downstairs, yawning a good morning before taking his seat next to the ravenette. 

"You came home pretty late, you alright?" The boy asked in a whisper to him while tearing into the curry, taking short intervals to drink water alongside it. 

"Just got caught up in hanging out with someone; lost track of time but it was fun." He made up on the spot. Maybe he could make a new start for himself, deception. 

It worked for the most part even though the cat turned human gave a tiny concerned look, but Ren gave a tiny smile to help wave off the doubts placed on him. 

After eating breakfast with them and keeping his usual composed self, he departed Leblanc. After closing the door, he felt relieved that it was over. It was just strange to him, eating in such a different environment. It felt too real to what a family envisioned as an ideal breakfast, but it was all conjured up by someone else. He missed his family more than anything but this wasn’t what he wanted. It felt forced and unnatural, even if the spirit was positive and uplifting. He wondered when his parents would eventually call to check in on him. He couldn’t recall a single time where they ringed him up to say hello ever since his arrest. But he had to focus on more important things, like getting to school on time. They’d call eventually.

The train ride was relatively short but Ren had tried to do some research on his phone for new accommodations. There were several apartments and homes for sale right near Ren which he wrote down. There was one house that was well designed and quite similar to his home back in the countryside. It had three to four floors with glass windows and balconies for the top three floors along with a gorgeous view of the neighborhood. He would be able to walk to school in about ten minutes and he decided that this was the best buy. However, the price was about 50 million yen but Ren had made that amount in one day running overshadows in mementos. He had no idea how it worked whatsoever, but he didn’t worry too much about it. From now on, he never had to worry about money. The teen had learned about offshore bank accounts which he somehow managed to get through the shady website on his broken-down laptop. He probably should have gotten a new one but he’d get all of that settled much later. For the moment, he texted the number that he’d like to see the house and possibly buy it at 4 o'clock if possible. Immediately receiving a response, he put his phone away and began walking out of the station. He had plans to hang out with Ryuji about an hour after the time but he had a feeling that the purchase wouldn’t take too long. 

Walking at a relatively normal pace, he spotted Makoto right in front of him. She seemed… 

A lot more at ease. Her eyes didn’t have the usual stress or serious demeanor that she carried with her at all times. She seemed carefree for once and looked happy to start another day of class. Perhaps it was the return of her father that cemented this new Makoto. Taking a deep breath, he stepped towards her. He didn’t exactly know how to approach her but he tried to pretend that things were all normal and proceeded anyway. 

“Hey, Makoto.”

“Oh Ren, it’s good to see you.” She smiled at the boy.

She looked at the school again while walking at the same pace.

“It’s hard to believe this school year is already coming to an end. I’m almost done with all of the applications for the universities I’m hoping to attend. My father and sister were a big help with it though. Speaking of which, have you made up your mind on Shujin?” 

He looked at her, slightly confused. 

She groaned. “Don’t tell me you forgot. Sojiro and your parents asked if you wanted to attend Shujin for next year and you said you’d think about it. Wouldn’t it be nice to stay around here with all of us?”

He sighed internally, shifting up to his glasses. Was this another change for the new reality? Was this what Ren or someone else wanted, for him to attend this school and be here with his friends forever? It certainly sounded appealing but again, this wasn’t right. It couldn’t be. 

Debating on what his next words should be, he responded. 

“I’ll see. The most important thing is that we move on, wouldn’t you say Makoto?” His words had a deeper meaning to it than he let on, holding hope that she would understand it.

She looked slightly confused. “Well yes, but this is better for all of us. We’ve all grown so close together, separating from one another without any real reason is the best course of action no? I couldn’t imagine who I would be if I hadn’t met all of you.”

“We’ll always be close with one another regardless of where we live. Our bonds are much stronger than distance can separate and… we all have our own goals to achieve one day.” 

She seemed taken aback. 

“I see. Well, I’m quite confident that all of us will be happy if we’re together, so I hope you decide to stay here with us Ren. After all, everything’s over and we’re finally at peace with the world.” 

They arrived at school. 

“Oh, we’ve arrived. Farewell Ren. Make sure to keep on top of your studies, finals are fast approaching. We could organize a group study session one of these days, we’re certainly a lot freer without our ‘after school activities’.”

She said the last part with air quotes but her delivery was still Makoto-Esque, causing him to chuckle. 

“I wouldn’t mind that, your expertise might help Ryuji and I pass. I’ll see you later Makoto.” He waved goodbye and the two parted. He went up to his homeroom and sat in his desk. He arrived earlier than Ann and Mishima, so he thought about the next course of action for himself. Makoto seemed a lot brighter and happier with everything that was going on. But staying at Shujin for another year? He didn’t recall Sojiro mentioning it nor his parents, who he still hadn’t heard from. 

Funny enough, his phone rang. It didn’t produce any actual noise mind you, as Ren always kept it on vibration only. The caller ID was his…

Mother?

  
  


He immediately picked up with not an ounce of hesitation. 

“Mom?” He questioned, almost breaking his composure. 

“Oh Ren, I’m so glad you picked up. I know it’s been so long since your father and I have been able to check in on you. With everything going on and the probation and -” 

“No no, it’s fine. I’m just glad…” He stopped for a bit, just feeling a bit relieved that he was able to hear their voice after a while. He thought that they had abandoned him completely and cut off all contact with him. 

He resumed “I’m just glad you’re here.” 

“Of course we would be sweetie! We wouldn’t be your parents if we weren’t constantly fretting over you. Anyways, we talked with Sojiro and I know you liked it in Tokyo this year. I think it’s better than what we had in the countryside so your father and I are going to move there so you can attend Shujin for your third year. We’re also excited to meet all your little friends, maybe even your girlfriend hehehehe” She started laughing before Ren just joined in on the laughing. 

He missed hearing his mother’s voice more than anything else from his old life. Hell, he even missed his dad’s stern lecture on obscure topics and strange antics at 3 a.m ranging from a ping pong tournament to driving across the city in a bicycle. He gained a lot of traits from both parents and it was certainly strange not having them with him all the time. 

“I can’t wait to see you guys then. I think you’ll like them, they’re an odd group but they’re some of the best friends anyone could ever ask for.” 

“Aww! Your father and I can’t wait until then! He should ring you up later sweetie but I’ll let you get back to class, make sure you pay attention!” 

He laughed at his mother’s banter before the call ended. It brought his mood up considerably, maybe this part was real. His parents would do something like this and Ren had a feeling that Maruki couldn’t exactly brainwash his parents into caring and being exactly as they were before. Furthermore, his probation still happened which meant that no wish or desires for Ren were twisted. The only thing he wanted was to be free and the doctor certainly didn’t grant that wish. 

Seeing as Ann and every other student was in their seat, the schoolday officially started. 


	5. Les yeux de la mama

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren buys a house and sees what's bonkin with Ryuji.

Ren fumbled with his pencil, twisting it back and forth while he sat restlessly in his desk. He was bored out of his mind and staring out the window the entire year certainly had grown tiresome. It felt like his mind mired as he listened to his teachers drag on about topics that he only heard slight details of. It wasn't that Ren didn't care or that he never paid attention, he knew certain details that were being passed on which he used as the answers for the several times he was called on. It was pestering when his classmates were in shock at him getting questions right each time as he had always gotten them correct each day. But strangely enough, he hadn't been called on today. 

"Kurusu!" His teacher yelled. 

His head snapped back up to see Ms. Kawakami stared at him with a look he knew all too well. Question of the day time. 

"Since you seem to be unquestionably attentive in class, you should know the answer to this question. In the book Invisible Man by Ralph Elison, there is one detail the narrator never reveals. What is it?"

The novel in question had been an interesting thing to read. He remembered reading it in middle school as a gift from his mother during his birthday. Ren had a knack for reading and an eye for consuming novels, yet he found himself unwilling to read as avidly as before after his probation. He pushed himself to do it whenever he was free and not stuck in the hustle-bustle of city life. Revering his thoughts back to the novel, he remembered the narrator, technically the main character. 

He went through so many different experiences but just as many hardships along the route. He started as a simple man seeking education, hoping to replicate the success of his idol who was the president of the college the narrator was attending. A student of the college, he was an honors college kid that was assigned a simple task of driving one of the sponsors of the school. But running into some unforeseen circumstances, the sponsor ended up terrified and scared to death. The narrator wasn't at fault but his idol bashed him still the same. 

He was kicked out of the college and sent somewhere else, being betrayed by his hero. The narrator found more conflicts as he began to lose his drive, but he eventually got famous under a new name and had a talent for giving speeches. 

However, in the end, he was betrayed again by the people at the top that helped him succeed. He adopted a fake name that he never mentioned and the ending left a somber tale: the man was hiding out in an apartment complex and things seemed bleak. Despite all of the dreary details of his current living, there was a shimmer of hope that he wasn't completely broken from all the betrayal. It was open to one's interpretation of hope. But back to the question on hand. 

"His name." He remarked while still fidgeting with his black-lead pencil. 

"Correct. The novel itself is quite difficult to comprehend since it ties into American history and historical fiction is often a difficult topic." The teacher went back to lecturing and doing what they did best, sending rivers worth of information that students-usually ignored. 

Ren's mind went back to the enclaves of his thoughts and reverted to his conversation with his mother. "They're moving to Tokyo huh." It was surreal really. 

But god would it be chaotic. 

His mother was a mix of serious, teasing, while also being composed. She had the same type of curly hair he did except it was obviously longer and much more neat. She pushed her love of books onto him and she currently worked as a professor at a college. She was very good at listening to people but she was prone to tunnel vision on occasion. Sometimes she went on rants pushing for things that had to change like the university she worked at; she typically attacked other professors that took no initiative to teach nor give any efforts in helping students succeed. To her, reforms were long overdue. The most striking characteristic of his mother was her composure as she was focused on anything she put her mind to. He took after her in retrospect considering his dad was… 

Well, he was a goofball. 

Ren remembered the time that he got student of the year at his middle school and his dad, instead of giving a handshake or a gift to commentate the moment, football tackled him and shouted "MY SON WON, TAKE THAT WORLD!" There was another time when he tried to plan a vacation to Paris but didn't inform his mother nor him until the day of. They didn't make it in time and his mother glared at him for a week. Strangely enough, his dad was a scientist and usually tried to do some experiments with Ren to get him interested in science. But they had to stop after they almost blew up the living room a few years ago. 

Regardless of all those zany moments, he was immensely proud of Ren in everything, no matter the outcome or setbacks along the way. Even when the teen failed, his dad would be in his corner to help pick him back up. Above everything, his dad was always there for Ren and his loyalty was one of the best things the teen had learned from his father. 

Furthermore, his father had even helped him escape the tyranny of his mother's lessons on numerous occasions, as the two went fishing instead. He hadn't tried the activity with anyone else besides his father, mostly because it never came up. 

Ren's memories and recollections were cut short by the bell signaling the end of the class. He checked his bag to see if Morgana was asleep but realized the cat wasn't with him anymore. 

The ravenette sighed. 

He loved that cat and damn did it feel weird without him. His adorable little meows or even just the sight of him looking at ease. Even if he had a weird thing for Ann and constantly fought with Ryuji, the little fuzzball was brave and considerate as long as you didn't make him insecure. Morgana hated feeling useless and redundant, an insecurity which Ryuji accidentally burned into him. 

The whole debacle with him leaving left a bitter taste in his mouth but he got over it after seeing the cat's resolve. The fur-ball promised that he wouldn't leave the teen's side during it but for the time being, the promise was voided. 

"I think he and the others will come to their senses eventually but I do miss their help." The boy thought in his head. 

After numerous dreadful classes, the day was almost over and Ren stared at the minutes count away. He still had to buy that house and he was curious to see if it was as perfect as he hoped. 

However, Ann's head turned back and voiced a question that Ren didn't expect. 

"Wanna come shopping with Shiho and me?!? The new winter sale's about to start and it's going to be amazing!! There's also a pastry shop that we've been dying to go to after!" She said while a gleam filled her green eyes. 

The ravenette sarcastically groaned. "You're going to make me hold your bags while gorging on sweets the entire time." 

"Hey! That's absolutely correct but I would spare you a few! I'll have you know I'm a very generous person." 

"You're as kind as an angel Ann…" He said charmingly, causing a produced blush from her but he wasn't done. 

"...Unless it comes to food. You'd kill me if I stole a bite off of you." He gave a rare laugh that she hadn't heard in a while. It was so genuine. Obviously laughing at your own joke wasn't cool to most but Ann always thought it was when it came to him.

"That's not true, I'd give you the crumbs!" She joined in on the laughing fit, just like she usually would. 

The two had become good friends throughout the year. 

"I wouldn't mind going shopping. I could use some more outfits and your fashion choice should be helpful, hopefully." 

"Hey don't forget Shiho! She has even better taste than I do, I'll have you know." She said with a bit of pride. 

He bit his tongue at the sound of that. He had such a fluent conversation with her that was just like they usually had because he ignored the pretense of whom she mentioned. Shiho wasn't supposed to be at Shujin anymore nor was she supposed to be as she was right now. 

He gave a sad smile and nodded with her claim, causing the blonde to respond with glee. 

"I knew you'd say yes! I'll text you when we make time, you better not keep us waiting!!" 

As the clock dragged on and on, it finally reached the destined time. At long last, the school day was finally over. Quickly gliding past the students and making his way to the station, he made his way to the address of his possible new home. After about a five minute walk from the station, he made it to the address and the house was beautiful. Every part of it was even better than the picture rendered, it resembled his house back home except it had a bit more modernism in it. 

He saw a lady outside that seemed to be in her mid-50s with a clipboard on hand and an inpatient look in her eyes. He assumed she was the realtor and walked to her. 

"Are you Amamiya Ren?" She asked, somewhat perplexed that someone so young had shown up. 

He nodded. 

"Well, I'll give you a tour of the home before you make any decisions. You're not pulling a joke or anything right? You're interested in buying this home?" 

He nodded again. 

She sighed in relief. "Good."

The woman's name tag was a little worn out so the teen had a tough time trying to make out her name. She quickly moved into the house and started speaking about all of its different features. 

"As you can see, the home itself has multiple floors that each have hardwood floors and a beautiful balcony overlooking the neighborhood on the second floor. There's also a built-in pool on the third floor that can hold about 15 people at the most. Any specific part of the house you'd like to see first?" 

"The kitchen." He remarked simply, still somewhat in awe about the fact that there was an indoor pool. Why on earth would the website leave that out? Regardless, he was curious to see if the facilities would be as modern as the rest of the house. 

"A good choice. There's a marble finish on the dining counter and the table itself is a solid wood piece. The chairs are well-crafted and sleek." She led him to the aforementioned room while speaking about it. It was just as she described it and the balcony was gorgeous. 

She pointed to the counter. "I don't know if you're a fan of coffee but the bank bought lots of brewing machines and accessories as a supplement." 

"Quite kind of them. How many bedrooms are in the house?" He moved on to his next concern. 

"There are about 6 of them. They already have beds and furniture set up in them but you can remove anything you don't like when you buy the home." She remarked. 

The realtor showed the rooms and they were all quite nice, specifically the one at the end of the hallway. The room itself was blanker than the rest of the rooms but it appealed with Ren. It was a dry canvas waiting for him to put his mark on it and it seemed spacious enough for him to customize it as much as he wanted. 

The two went on to see every detail of the house in a short interval of time as Ren kept moving forward after seeing each thing for seconds. Obviously, he wasn't a home connoisseur (a coffee one instead) but he thought the house was perfect. 

"I'll buy it." He remarked after she finished the tour.

"Perfect, I'll just need your billing information to make the payments in intervals over time. Does a thirty-year contract work for you?" She said as she started getting out a contract and other documents. 

"I'd prefer a lump sum payment if that's possible." 

The realtor dropped her folder in shock. 

"A-are you s-sure about that?!?" 

He handed her a check made out for the home's value and his payment info showing his balance (he didn't have to but he just wanted to flex). 

"Wonderful! I just need you to sign here and here…." The woman hadn't been this excited in her lifetime. A teenage kid buying this, just like that? It seemed surreal. 

After writing his name and some other contact information, the woman packed up her papers and handed him the keys to his new home. 

"It's been a pleasure doing business with you Mr. Amamiya. Here's my company card if you're ever interested in more properties or any issues that arise with this home." 

With that, Ren now had his dream house. 

_ "Sometimes, even I don't know what I've gotten myself into."  _ Was the only thought in his head. 

He glanced at the time, he still had another thirty minutes until he was supposed to go meet up with Ryuji at the beef bowl shop they frequently terrorized. 

The teen texted Goro the location of their new headquarters and left it at that. He also needed to discuss the possibility of the detective being able to remove any bugs on his phone; Ren would prefer Futaba not to have an eye on his whereabouts nor his conversations. 

With the brunette returning confirmation of the time and place of their meeting (5:30 had worked), the ravenette made his way to the station again. 

The boy's thoughts went back to Maruki's palace. Those memories and flashbacks of Ryuji's life were far too detailed and realistic for it to have been fabricated. It was almost as if he reached deep into the blonde's mind and scraped it apart so that others could see it. Thinking about it made Ren's eyes twitch and seeth with emotion, but he did not show any physical changes on his face. It was a low blow to try to convince Ren to let this all happen. 

But that thought did make his mind wander. Just how much power did Maruki hold? He had a persona, he could brainwash people, and he could access other people's memories? All of it just seemed unfair. All of it just did not make sense. How did he even access it? Why didn't Igor or Lavenza warn him or even provide any help? Nothing made sense for him on the ride there but Ren had a goal in mind: to remind Ryuji of what he fought for. 

Entering the beef bowl shop, he saw his fellow delinquent relaxing at the table and sparked up as soon as he saw the ravenette. 

"Yo Ren-Ren over here! It's been way too long since we've been here man!" The boy exclaimed as he got up and walked over, with no limp or hesitation in his legs during the movement. 

The teen held up a high five which the boy vigorously returned. Ren just had to pretend that this was like talking with normal Ryuji, except with just a few discrepancies which he had to address subtlety. 

"Oh man, I missed eating here with you dude. Practice has been killing me and the team but I think we're finally making some real progress!" The blonde said while devouring the beef bowl. 

Ren figured out a subliminal way of asking about something. "Yeah, it's been a hell of a long time. Say, do you remember the first time we came here?" 

"Hell yeah! We came here after we wrecked shit in Kamoshida's palace and stayed until rush hour died. Heh when you told me about yourself, I didn't feel alone anymore." 

Ren decided to play coy. "Alone?" 

The blonde immediately responded. "Oh, dude it was awful without you. It felt like I had no one to sup-" 

He stopped as he got a massive headache of sorts. 

"Wait... no, that's not what happened. No one? I had the track team yeah?" He muttered somewhat confused. 

The ravenette decided to press a little bit more. 

"Say Ryuji, how did you manage to get out of practice for all of our phantom thieving days?" 

"Uhhhhhhhhh" It seemed like the blonde's mind was turning inside out with the questions. 

"And didn't we run together to get 'back in shape? We ran into some people too, people that you knew." He said the last word very slowly, deliberately trying to send a message. He hoped, so endearingly, that Ryuji would understand it. 

But he voided it. 

"Thinking about that stuff is giving me a headache. Oh crap the food's getting cold, let's get back to eating am I right?" The blonde said while getting back to eating.

Ren's eyes flickered multiple emotions but there was an overwhelming one present, regret. Did he say the wrong words and goes about it in a bad way? How was he supposed to get through to him? Maybe it was supposed to be more natural and easy-going. 

After the two were nearly done eating, Ryuji restarted the conversation. "Man this was a good meal! I think I still have another one waiting as soon as I get home though, practice always has me starving. Thankfully my mom's a great cook. "

Oh crap, I just realized I never had you over! Oh, dude, she would be hella proud of me if she saw the type of people I was hanging out with, especially you Ren. You're the best friend a guy could ask for." He said while giving a pat to the ravenette's back.

Although it warmed Ren's heart, the proud part caught his ears. Ryuji got up to return their now empty containers to the trash but Ren's voice stopped him. 

"Hey Ryuji," He started. 

The boy turned back to meet his friend in the eye.

"She's been proud of you, no matter what you do or whatever choices you make. She loves you more than anything and she'll be there, always willing to help. You don't need to be a star for her to love you man, you're already one in her eyes."

And now. 

  
  
  


Ryuji was in shock. 

Words tried to come out of his mouth but it failed. His mind felt like it was compressing with memories trying to surface being drowned by some mysterious force, forcing the recollections to suffocate as soon as it tried to arise. His body felt strange, it was pumping blood but it felt like it stopped. Everything Ren said was true but why did his mind refuse to understand it and respond accordingly? Everything he said was true in Ryuji's heart. 

He felt some wet marks developing in his eyes. He hadn't felt this in a long time but it also felt so familiar to him. It was like… they were connected by something. Why couldn't he remember when it was the last time he cried? 

Eventually, some words fizzled out of his mouth. It was barely a whisper and it was from the person who practically screamed secrets into the street. 

"T-thanks m-man." His body turned to dispose of the bowls and he noticed that Ren got up as well. 

The blonde's mind could not conjure anything to respond with, his mind enabling a mixture of jumbled out words and pictures appearing in his mind as the two walked out of the restaurant. It was silent for a bit before Ren broke it. 

"You doing all right Ryuji?"

The boy nodded, somewhat confused at the events taking place. 

"I'm always here for you man and so, is everyone else. You're not alone anymore." Ren said with a warm smile. He meant every word of it and again, he felt like he had hope again. But most of all, he felt like he had to reassure Ryuji. Reassure him that he always had his friends and his mother to support him.

The blonde felt like he was getting back to his normal state a bit. "Aw shucks man you're making me blush." He said somewhat jokingly but mostly genuine. 

" _ No realization yet. It's fine, I hope I at least quailed some doubts that Ryuji had about himself." _ Ren thought in his mind. 

"Oh damn it’s getting late, I’ll catch ya later Ren-Ren!” He said while sprinting off. Although this wasn’t atypical for the blonde to do, it felt random. 

But the boy had one more remark as he was running away from his friend.

“Remember that I always got your back!” 

Did he? It sure didn’t seem like it when it came to this world. Those words of reassurance usually warmed Ren’s heart and made him feel touched. But that same warmth wasn’t there any longer. The words seemed hollow, almost as if a puppet was uttering them when a button was touched. Everything felt like it had some double meaning but the ravenette had to hear them said. He sighed, his breath compounded of frustration and emptiness. He bit his lip out of habit and took out his phone to check the time. It was possibly abundant but he had to do things efficiently, there wasn't any time to waste going over unimportant things. Ryuji wasn't harming their efforts against Maruki so he wasn't a concern. 

The teen still had some time before he was supposed to meet with Goro so he decided to drop by Leblanc to see if Sojiro needed something and to speak with Morgana. Maybe he could convince his favorite cat of who he is. After all, Ren did miss his alarm clock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not dead. Just dying from assignments and studying for my future classes. Told ya updates will be far and random. Anyways, check out this fic made by a certain chad named Chadzura. 
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/24405181/chapters/59648782
> 
> Leave a comment on his fic since he actually consistently pushes content LMAO. Vitamin out


	6. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren gets back his favorite alarm clock who has a new resolve and meaning.

The snow was settling elegantly, each flake landing just as perfectly as it had imperfects when falling spastically. Ren glanced up and was glad to have his warm blue scarf providing some solace from the weather. But the soft material did little to ease the cold tensions in his heart when he saw Leblanc. It only reminded him of all the times he and his friends had been there but now, all of them were caught up in something. Except for a boy and a cook of course. 

The ravenette turned the knob, feeling the jovian atmosphere rush at his face like a warm summer breeze. The food smelled just as good as always, the hint of apple tickling Ren's nose as he remembered the secret ingredient Sojiro always used. The place was mostly empty besides his cat turned human and the cook himself. Upon arrival, the aforementioned two seemed to perk up at his entrance.

"Ah, you're back. Mind watching the shop for a bit and dealing with any customers? Futaba wanted me to go with her and Wakaba to buy some stuff. I don't get why they pick such weird times though." He grumbled the last part but his radiant smile betrayed any bitter meaning the words might have held. 

"Sure." He said without any further questions or arguments. Watching the shop wouldn't be that bad but most of all, it would give him a chance to talk with Morgana. 

"Aw come on Sojiro, you know I can watch a store too." The handsome… teen? Was he also their age in this human body? Probably. 

"Uh-huh sure. You're more likely to chase after some girl than take care of this shop. I'll leave this in your care, Ren." 

"Have fun Sojiro." He remarked while the cook left Leblanc. 

The ravenette donned his apron and got started on finishing the coffee Sojiro was brewing along with the curry in the pot. Morgana finished his cup before starting a conversation with Ren. 

"So what've you been up to? You came home a little early, at least it's better than when you came in last night." The unease in his voice was somewhat evident. He was sharp enough to deduct that Ren came home quite late and tried to be sly about it. 

"Bought a house."

"What?!?"

The Phantom Thieves leader responded with the address and slid his phone over to Morgana. 

"You can't be serious." The cathuman groaned while chuckling after. 

"Oh but I am. Here's a refill by the way." 

As the boy scrolled through the details of the home and gasped at the delicate details, he finished the cup of coffee. 

"That was an amazing cup. For some reason, it feels like that's the first time I've had coffee from you. I swear I remember you making it all the time but huh…" Morgana wandered off while shuffling his eyebrows, which were parched in confusion. 

The barista noticed his confusion but decided not to press immediately, eager to not repeat the exact approach he took with Ryuji. 

"I'm assuming you liked the house?" Ren grabbed the mug and went to go wash it. Smelling the air, the teen knew that the curry was almost done. Intuition was starting to take hold of his culinary skills and he was glad that Sojiro's skills were being passed down. 

"It was beautiful! But how on earth did you afford all of it?" 

"Remember that fortune-teller we met a while ago?" 

Morgana nodded. 

"Remember us trucking down shadows in the metaverse and them dropping money?" 

He nodded again but a bit confused with the follow-up.

Ren decided to clarify it before adding more rhetorical questions.

"The fortune teller's ability allowed me to make almost ten times the usual money that shadows dropped from battle. For a workout and some funds, I visited mementos and had some fun." The last part was said with a grin. His lips curled into a smile remembering how good it felt to get his emotions out by pummeling shadows. Jesus. 

He sounded like Goro. 

Shaking his head, he looked back at Morgana who was in awe at the brilliance of the plan. 

"I never would've even thought of that. We should do that next time when I can turn into-" 

The cathuman grabbed his head in pain, the anguish present as he could not grasp onto anything for support or remedy against the discomfort. Was he about to say when he turned into a car? That's what it felt like the sentence was going to end with but he was cut off, just like what had happened to Ryuji. 

_ "So, their memories are being blocked it seems. The approach I took with Ryuji didn't work, maybe I can go in a different way." _

"You doing all right Morgana?" 

After hearing his voice and pausing for a bit, he nodded. Ren placed the curry down in front of the cathuman. 

"Yeah, I think so. That was weird but oh man this smells great! You're really starting to become like the chef ya know." 

The comparison was a kind comment by Morgana. Most things the little critter said were nice and genuine unless it was with Ryuji. 

"Say Morg," 

The cat peeked up with a spoonful of curry in his mouth.

"If you could have one wish granted to you, what would it have been?" Ren voiced his question. It had a hidden meaning again but he hoped he could understand him. He needed to. The ravenette was feeling disillusioned with several things but this might impede those thoughts. 

"You're asking a bunch of weird questions lately. But... 

“if I had to say one wish huh…" He pondered for a few minutes thinking it over while the boy patiently waited. 

The mere minutes felt like hours to Ren. 

"Well. I guess I just want someplace I belong, you know.” He turned his head from the plate of curry to face Ren, who was still standing. 

“I know that we've been through a lot together but I'm just scared that one day I won't have anyone. That I'll be too useless for everyone and that I just have nowhere to call home." The boy looked down, feeling pathetic at himself. He felt scared all those days when he didn't know he was. Wait, who he was? 

It seemed to ring something in his heart. 

"You've been one of my closest friends ever since I got to this place Morg. We were inseparable and we saw a lot together. You're not useless." 

He looked up at the ravenette's eyes, they seemed so focused and warm again. It was like he was understanding his conviction all over again. It seemed so familiar, just like the day that met. 

The day they met. 

Wait. 

He remembered something. 

A cage. 

One where he had to look up to see things and that's when he saw him and his frizzy hair. 

But, that didn’t make sense? 

He was a human, or so he thought. He was around their height so why would he be looking up? 

His brain went into disarray as his body sent an automatic response, like a defense mechanism that he has no control of. 

"B-but I still don't have a home. I don't even know where I belong Ren!" His mouth shouted but he didn't have control over it. That's not what he wanted to say. Who was making him say these things? 

"It's not much but, I think you belong with me, Morgana." The boy sat down, making sure to look into his best friend's eyes to reassure him with even more heartfelt words. 

"We've been through so much trouble, just trying to live our lives and I couldn't have become who I am without you. Wherever I go, I know it'll be fine because I have you as my partner in crime." 

Morgana felt like glass was shattering. Some control he was under was being broken and he was close to being able to say something of his own free will, but alas, his mind was fighting the control so his mouth was unable to produce anything yet. 

"So, I guess home isn't really a place. It's a person Morg, and I think wherever we go," He paused a bit, for emphasis. 

"We'll be fine, because we have each other." 

That was it.

Morgana remembered finally. 

His dream wasn't to become a human, it was to become accepted. His desires were twisted by some entity he was unaware of. 

Morgana didn't know what he wanted truly but Ren helped him remember that people cared about him regardless of his physical appearance. Furthermore, the fuzzball didn't need to serve a use or contain some power that could be of service because Ren and the others were there for him because of him. 

The glass shattered. The crack was heard from both boys as if it was a three-story building made of glass breaking with an earthquake. 

The human reverted back to a cat and was on the stand, his eyes readjusting immediately.

"W-what happened?" He questioned immediately but his pondering was cut off when he was embraced by Ren. He desperately needed some confirmation that his friends could be saved and this was it. This entire month was a downturn that kept getting worse at every corner, but he felt elated that he had Morgana back. 

"I missed you, buddy." The simple words were enough to hang through the air, eliciting a sense of family returning. The cat hung on his shoulders and suddenly, Ren didn't feel alone anymore. He had felt isolated from everyone except two people, and having another one reassured him that he could do this- 

_ “We can do this.” _ He stated in his mind before Morgana spoke up. 

"I'm so confused, but I know one thing for sure.” The cat plopped back down onto the counter.

“I'm not going to leave your side ever again. Thank you… for accepting who I am." 

The cat stayed there and began to remember everything that had been so blurry. All those memories with Ren that had been locked behind something. 

All the times he brought sushi back for the cat, all the times he brought him along for adventures to keep him happy. Ren even entertained any crazy ideas that the cat had conjured up, always trying to be there for the fuzzball if he needed it. But then, he remembered the time when he left the thieves because he felt empty. It was his fault for making the argument but his childish nature ended up hurting the team and the operation. But most of all, he saw how happy his best friend was to see him when they finally found the cat again. Even when he tried running them over because he was throwing a temper tantrum, he was there waiting with open arms (technically a bag, but you know what, it had gotten cozy over time). 

Then he remembered the last thing he could recall. The day before Christmas where they fought a god and Morgana thought he was leaving for good. He remembered the thought of leaving his friends and most of all, Ren. 

He remembered the ravenette reaching out for him as he was fading into light, neither knowing what would happen to the cat. The rest weren't able to see it but Morgana cried that day. His tears being masked as the light enclosed his figure. And now. 

  
  


He was crying again. 

But this time, they had some ounces of happiness in them. 

He was glad to be back and more so, he was glad to be there for his best friend again. He wasn't going to let him down and he felt his heart grow. 

He felt his third persona awaken and he promised himself and Ren that he would do his best to help him with anything he might've needed. Whatever fight that they had left, he would eagerly join the fray. Not to prove his usefulness or flex his ability, but to protect the ones he cares about. 

"It's good to have you back." Ren muttered while nuzzling his soft little head. 

"I'm sorry…" He muttered, embarrassed that it had taken him so long to snap out of whatever trance he was in. The fuzzball didn't have any idea of how it happened but he knew he was somewhat at fault for letting his desires cloud his judgment. 

"It's okay, I'm just glad you're here now." Ren returned wholesomely. He couldn't be mad at him, especially when he was so happy to have him back. It gave him hope that he could help out his other friends. Hope that they would realize it as well but for the time being, Morgana was enough to snap him out of any negative thoughts he had thanks to the aftermath regarding Ryuji. 

"You're too nice for your own good." The cat grumbled. 

Ren grabbed a tissue and gently tended to some of the tears coming from the cat but he smiled, it was really him all right. 

"How much did I miss?" The cat asked. 

"A lot, but parts of it are conjecture at the moment," Ren said. 

He proceeded to fill the fur-ball with information regarding Maruki and some of his abilities. He began describing the world they lived in and how he affected all the other thieves. Ren mentioned this world enabling dead people to be revived such as Wakaba, Haru's father, Makoto's father, and others. Right after, he detailed how this world changed the lives of the people by making their "dreams" come true. He went over each thief individually but left Goro and Sumire for last. The cat was shocked and confused with each thief's wishes including his own. It betrayed what they were fighting for.

Control over their own lives. 

"But, did all of us just accept it? How could we be so selfish?" The cat said disappointed at himself for believing the lie that he was human. Why did he care so much about being one? It wasn't exactly what he wanted. It was like it was twisted to meet some strange need that he didn't really have. It was like someone else making decisions for him. 

"Unfortunately, most people have. The notable exceptions are You, me, Goro, and Sumire." 

"Akechi? And Yoshizawa?" He asked, perplexed now.

Ren took a deep sigh before telling him what happened with Sumire. The battle with her, Maruki forcing her to pretend to be her sister for a whole year, then forcing her persona to fight them and hurting her in the process. Just thinking about what he did to her made Ren angry. It wasn't the type of anger that could be resolved by beating up shadows though. 

Little did he know, deep in his mind, that anger would be resolved in one way and one way only. 

"That's horrifying. I'm glad she's doing okay now. Are you three going into the palace to help get closer to the treasure?" 

"I don't think Sumire is ready yet. I've been helping her heal and I want to make sure she's okay. She's been through so much that she deserves some rest."

"That's good to hear. I know she's really important to you too, you must have been devastated throughout that experience." He nuzzled up against his hand as a means for support. 

"It was difficult, especially since I didn't want to hurt her nor did I want to see her in that much pain. But Maruki had an agenda and I underestimated the extremes he'd go to try to get us to accept this world." 

"I agree. He sounds like the most powerful palace ruler we've encountered thus far, I'm surprised Akechi and you have been able to progress in the palace with just the two of you. But with me in the mix, we might be able to do this." Morgana raised his paw for a high five (technically a low five, well technically a cat five) which Ren returned.

"Glad to have you onboard Mona." He said while patting the cat's head again. 

"I promise I won't let you down!"

The teen spent more time reiterating some of the things he saw in the palace, most specifically the Ryuji's memories part which spooked Morgana. 

"It showed a lot of vivid details regarding his life. I don't know how he can do all of this but we have to be careful." 

Ren turned off his phone before he said the next part of his conversation and gestured for Morgana to follow him outside. 

"Futaba still has my phone bugged and I don't like her hearing our conversations. Sojiro should be done shopping with them anytime now so she might start tuning in to what we're doing. She can't hear us if we're right outside her bugging area."

"Oh, that makes sense."

Ren then described the night infiltrations, why he bought the house and plans to utilize it for tonight's operations. 

“Ah, so that's why you bought it. Was Akechi’s apartment that bad?” 

“It was dirtier than when we first moved into the attic. Kind of betrays that whole ‘you’re just some criminal scum that lives in an attic!’ when his place is worse.” Ren imitated Goro’s voice and snarled to emphasize the scum part. 

Morgana laughed at the Akechi impression, it was pretty damn accurate. “Hehehe. But on a different note, are you sure we can trust him though? He did try to kill you after all.”

“We don’t really have a choice in the matter. As much as I hate what he did, we have to team up to take down Maruki. I do have a bond with him but…” Ren’s eyes focused. 

He recalled the numerous atrocities he was responsible for, including the murder of Haru’s father and Futaba’s mother. He felt disgusted just thinking about it. He didn’t really care for the fact that he was almost murdered by him mostly because it felt good beating him in mind games. “It doesn’t mean that I can forgive him for everything he’s done. But at the base level, we’re rivals and friends in a sense.” 

“Well if you say so. I’ll still have to keep my eye on him though!”

“I’m glad you are. I’m hoping the curry filled you up since we’re gonna go check out the new house. Goro should be arriving later to discuss infiltration plans and we’ll go over the map of the place as well.” 

“Sounds good! The Phantom Thieves are back, and we’re not going to let anyone control us.” The cat hopped onto Ren’s shoulder as he leaned down. 

He smiled at the snow this time. His scarf didn’t need to warm him as he felt mellow with the idea that he had his closest friend back. Meanwhile, Morgana never had to ask himself the question of “To cat or not to cat” because it didn’t matter what or who he was. As long as he had Ren, he’d belong anywhere. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note, this was supposed to be apart of chapter 5 but I didn't realize that I didn't copy and paste the entire thing. Thanks google docs! Anyways yeah that's why it's a different chapter, accidental. 
> 
> Regardless, yes we have Morgana back! Out of every other thief (including the Royal Trio), Morg was the closest to Ren and his desires were distorted by someone (you know who). What he really wanted was to belong somewhere and feel like he wasn't useless and Ren helped him realize that; henceforth, he broke out of the control he was under. Honestly, if this fic does get a sequel, I have plans for what our pair are going to be doing. They're a wholesome pair of best friends and as a note, Goro isn't going to become a magical good guy or a tsundere like some people have written him. Just a personal preference because Ren really hasn't forgiven Goro but he can trust his life in this mission because they're rivals. On no means does Ren trust anyone else with him though. 
> 
> Any other thoughts I'd be sharing hm... Still dying from assignments. Until next time!
> 
> Oh also check out these fics
> 
> Retribution of the Trickster by Chadzura   
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/24405181/chapters/58872412
> 
> Fool's protection by Digital  
> https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13591616/1/Fool-s-protection
> 
> Yall really thought I wouldn't shout you out even though I'm dying from assignments LMAO


	7. Sweater Weather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shopping, hair-buns, and some usual fun.

"Are we almost there yettttt?" Morgana grumbled out of the bag as the pair made their way to the apartment through the train station as usual. He stuck his head out of Ren's bag as it was less crowded than usual, hoping to get a glimpse of the people inside. People watching was always fun for the fur-ball, making guesses on what people were doing while bored. 

"Almost, just a few more minutes." The teen responded while scratching the cat's ear. It helped ease the critter's energy and enthusiasm, all to make sure that they wouldn't get caught. 

The ravenette was currently reading another novel on the short ride there. This book was long recommended by his mother a while ago and Ren had seen a copy of it at the second-hand shop a while ago. He bought it without a second thought and it was the narrative called A Man's Search for Meaning by Frankl and god was it powerful. It detailed finding a purpose for one's life, a process by which you hold onto, you cling to it while you get through painful and traumatic experiences. Frankl discussed all of the hardships he faced, regarding countless horrendous things in a demeanor that gave you hope and positivity. Even though the experiences are difficult and unbelievably painful, no one can take away what you went through. Your experiences, your pains, your shortcomings, all of them belonged only to you. Frankl had survived the concentration camps he was in but had lost his family and specifically, his wife and their son. Even throughout that, he kept moving forward and went on to teach about his belief. It was a powerful book all right and it was clear why his mother recommended it. Maybe they'd be able to discuss literature when his father and she had arrived in the city. He could picture his father suplexing him and then dropping an elbow on his chest in excitement and his mother groaning but then taking a picture to celebrate. 

"Rennnnnnnnnnnnnn, are we there yet?" Morgana groaned again, bored out of his mind. The teen closed his book and picked up the bag, with the cat in tow. He stood up much to the confusion of his feline friend. 

Right on time, the doors announced their arrival and opened the doors.

They made their way through first thanks to the boy's impeccable timing and it got the fuzzball amazed at the accuracy of his prediction. 

"How'd you do that!?!" 

"Erudite knowledge. I've memorized these train stops and routes along with time estimations for each one." 

"You really are unique Ren. Wait, does your new house have food!?! It better not be cat food though!" 

"The realtor mentioned that a lot of commodities have been included but I don't know about the food part. We'll grab some sushi for dinner but we're gonna enter the metaverse at night so don't overindulge too much."

"I take offense to that! A true gentleman thief would never fail before starting a mission. But, yellowtail is really good…" He trailed off, his mouth salivating the thought of exquisite fish. 

"We're here." 

Following his announcement, the cat took a look at the exquisite home and if he had a jaw, it would be on the floor. The pictures didn't do justice to how grand the place was and it was massive! Morgana thought about all the stuff they could do in there, like jump on a trampoline or even look out the window in the morning thanks to a perfectly placed balcony. 

"I'm guessing you like it." 

"THIS IS THE BEST THING EVER!!!" The cat exclaimed and frantically ran into the house with glee. 

"Guess we upgraded from the attic just by a little bit." He stepped inside to the home to see the fuzzball running around and exploring the pretty sights present. The floor was warm and cozy with some carpets on top off the hardwood floor. The vases and lamps were put quite neatly all over the home, attributing to the modern style throughout. The floors were dark oak and the carpets were a lighter brown that showed the beautiful contrast of colors. So similar but yet so different. Paradoxes always grasped one's eyes.

"THIS PLACE HAS EVERYTHING!" Morgana yelped jumping from place to place in a chaotic frenzy. His tiny paws scuffing at things that wouldn't leave much of a mark but it was his childish demeanor that caused him to enjoy the new scene. 

"Mhm, there's a lot of beds upstairs too. I'll let you have your pick of the bunch but I have a feeling that you're going to remain using my face as your bed."

"But it's the best of plans! What if someone invaded the house or there was an emergency?" The cat remarked dramatically.

The ravenette could only chuckle at the antics. While Morgana went to explore every single detail, Ren went to the kitchen and went to inspect what brewing contraptions were left. 

The cold brew machine looked quite advanced and the espresso maker seemed remarkable as well. There was a wide variety of beans, similar to Leblanc, but not yet at the diversity and background of the ones there. He peeled some of the wrappings off, loaded some of the beans into the brewery, and placed some water inside. While that was set up, he got two separate mugs and poured a ⅓ cup of milk into each. He placed sugar into his mug along with some vanilla extract to ferment the flavor inside. He left the other mug sugar free because he knew Goro's tastes quite well. His fabricated personality had to indulge in sugary treats to appeal to the media but his true self hated it. 

The ping of the machine broke him away from the brief thoughts and he began to do what he did best, finish the job.

After mixing it and putting some dandy espresso art on both, he concluded the coffee making. 

Morgana strutted into the kitchen when he smelled the aroma.

"Ooh, brewing coffee again? I guess that makes sense." Morgana tried to hop onto the counter but it was a bit too high for him. Ren helped him onto the table and the fur-ball looked at the two mugs. 

Ren's one had the art of a tiny little kitten that looked like Morgana and Akechi's mug had what looked to be…

Pancakes? 

"Did you pick this one on purpose?" The cat laughed and the boy simply nodded before joining in on the action as well. 

Just then, the doorbell rang. Ren went to go get the door but pulled out the map of the palace on the table for Morgana to look through. Although the two wild cards had lacked the artistic skills of a certain eccentric painter, their depiction of the details was good enough. Morgana noted the amount of ground they covered but he had a feeling that this was just a small portion of what Maruki had in store for them. 

Quickly making himself down the stairs, Ren opened the door to see his rival's face ridden with confusion, amusement, and his typical displeasure all in one place. 

"I don't think I want to question how you were able to acquire this place."

"A realtor."

The brunette sighed. "I assumed that much. Any deviations to the plan thus far? I'd prefer if there weren't any more obstacles in our path but if they were to arise…"

The detective's sinister face reared its ugly head.

"I'm sure it wouldn't be an issue." He added on, his face twitching with pleasure at the possible carnage he could wreck.

"I'd say the opposite occurred. I'll show you what I mean." He moved out of the way to let his rival in before he quickly stepped in to take a glance at the building. 

It was better than his apartment all right. But he didn't have the same excitement Morgana had nor did he care as long as he had his coffee and they got on with their plan. 

"Hm, better taste than I expected." He remarked while following Ren to their destination. 

"You wound me, my friend. Then again, I don't know if I'd want a compliment about taste from a media darling." 

The brunette shot a glare at the boy before they arrived at the sight of a map, coffee, and a cat. 

The cat caused Goro to gape in shock for a brief moment. He certainly didn't expect any of the other Phantom Thieves to be here nor did he expect this to be the positive Ren was referring to. 

"Surprise?" The cat said, unsure of what would be best to exclaim.

"So this is what you meant. I suppose the more manpower, we have the better. If my memory serves correctly, Morgana is our best healer on the team." 

"Besides Lady Ann, yes." The fur-ball responded.

"Morgana also allows us to focus primarily on assault and rotate often if we need to. It's also good to have someone else along with us in case we need to split up to cover more ground." 

"I see." The detective remarked sitting down and pondering for a bit about how they could go about the infiltration plan. 

"If there aren't any objections, let's go over what we know," Ren remarked before going to the map. 

The other two nodded in agreement.

"We've gotten past one obstacle that depicted Ryuji's memories and his cognitive self according to Maruki. I wouldn't be shocked to see the other thieves in there as well. I think he's met all of us to merit an opinion on 'what is best for us' according to him."

"He's practically imploring us to surrender by going to such low levels with this. I'd prefer cutting down enemies than wasting time playing therapist." The brunette sneered.

"Wait, both of you saw the memories and visions?" Morgana asked.

The pair nodded.

"I see. Well now that there's three of us, maybe two could be slightly ahead in case of moments like that? One in the rearguard in case something happens." The fur-ball suggested.

"Hm, that's not a terrible idea. I'll assume that position then. I'd rather not see any more of that bullshit." He remarked coldly.

"That works. He started with Ryuji who was the first person I met while in a palace. Going by that idea, the next cognitive person we would meet is either Morgana or Ann. Considering we have you with us, I think it'll end up being the latter." 

"Not poor Lady Ann. I don't know if I can go through seeing that."

"I don't know his thoughts on her since she didn't reveal how much she shared about herself in those therapy sessions. We'll find out though."

Goro took a sip of his coffee while inspecting the map accordingly. He didn't notice the espresso art however but it didn't matter at the moment. 

"I'm still a bit perplexed that, out of all the people you convinced to help us, it would be your pet cat that joined us. What happened to all those friends who you spent time with and all of your bullshit friendship power?" The brunette smiled a wicked grin but Ren wasn't phased. 

"Morgana was just the start, we'll win the others back eventually," Ren replied, more focused than he was at the start of the day and just hours before really. Having the cat back was a huge reassurance that they could do this. 

"Exactly! The Phantom Thieves would never break up like that, especially after everything we've been through." The cat replied confidently as ever but surprisingly, Goro smiled at their confidence. 

"Your childish antics are interesting, to say the least. I'll trust in your confidence for the time being. Moving on, what specific things are we bringing to the palace? I believe you mentioned something along the lines of a Goho-M but more powerful." 

"Something for when we do confront the palace ruler. The entire place would be coming down and it'd be easier if we were able to get out within seconds after stealing the treasure."

"I believe I know how to build that and I can get the equipment for it but I'll require your proficiency to help produce it." The brunette replied.

"I can help too!" The cat responded, eager to assist with the tool crafting. 

"That works. Morgana and I can work on the tools in the palace when we go in. To test it out though… Mementos would probably be our best bet. The requests on the website indicated that there should be some shadows of people there. We'll test them there." Ren decided which the other two agreed with. 

"Hm, this has been surprisingly productive. I was expecting the cat to shift our attention and mire the operation." 

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean! I'll have you know I am a professional thief!" The fuzzball jumped, ready to pounce. 

"Hmph. Regardless, the plan works by me. I'll see the two of you at midnight. I'm afraid to work will keep me until then so I'll bid the two of you adieu."

"Wait one last thing." Ren took out his phone which was still turned off.

"Could you get someone to take off all the bugs on my phone and make sure that it won't get infiltrated by Futaba? It would be bad if anyone got wind of our plans."

"I see. It shouldn't be an issue then, I'll return it to you when we meet later." The brunette got up and finished the cup of coffee before dropping off the mug at the sink. 

"Thanks, Goro." The boy said simply and the boy looked up at him in amusement and a bit of gratitude.

The smile he wore on his face was a nice sight. It was rare and infrequent but it was good to see the brunette happy, especially given how often he faked emotions and feelings for so long. 

He grumbled at your welcome and an attempt at an insult but it slipped past Ren's mind. 

The detective left and now the teen and his cat were left plotting out some more details of the map. 

"Well, he seems a lot more friendly than what happened before"

"Mostly because he doesn't have a gun to my head." Ren's dry wit was as good as usual and the cat rolled over in laughter. 

"He didn't insult you too heavily Morg, he might be warming up to you." 

"I don't know if that's a good thing but maybe he'll discard his hate for attachment to people. I think that was the reason why he rejected our offer to join us. He hates being attached for some reason." The cat speculated. 

"I think you're right but it's a start. As long as we can work together fluently, it'll be okay. In regards to physical condition, do you think you can fight as usual?" 

"Of course! My spells feel even stronger than usual thanks to you. I won't let you down!" The cat promised, eyes gleaming with a furry passion. 

"Looking forward to seeing it in action." He nuzzled the cat's head before wrapping up their nap and the plans. 

"So what's next on the agenda?" He asked, following the boy as he dropped off the mug and walked. 

"We have a decent amount of time until then. Let's do some shopping for the house and get some other supplies for the infiltration." 

"Can we get some sushi?!?" 

He laughed. "I meant more furniture and decor but we'll get to that later. Your appetite might rival Sumire's at this rate." 

"Yay!!" 

The two stepped outside, feeling the cold air hit them again from the warmth of the household slowly dissipating. The cat yelped and climbed into Ren's jacket, using his hood as his new base of heat. He curled up inside and stayed there while he moved the hood outwards to give him more room.

"I think my bag's warmer Morg." 

"But that's too far. This gives me a chance to curl up and sleep, I'm kind of tired after everything that happened so far. Plus I need energy for the infiltration tonight." The cat purred before adopting a laced position nap. 

"Sleep well." He waited until the fur-ball was completely asleep before lightly walking to the pitter-patter of the snow. He was careful not to move too violently in case he woke up the gentle critter and made sure that he took his time in each step. 

_ "Maybe I should get some clothes for him, a cat sweater would be nice." _ He thought in his head before making his way to the mall. It wasn't too far from here so he figured it'd be a good destination.

  
  


**_~transition thingy~_ **

When the pair arrived at the mall, festive decoratives caught the boy's eye. It was grand and it was sweet seeing the decorations and sales in its glory. He was happy to see that the flower shop was still doing well and he waved at his former boss, she smiled back and returned the gesture.

He spoke with her for a bit about how it was going and she was ecstatic with how business was going. People overall seemed a lot happier and bought a lot more frequently here. 

Ren responded that it was deserved and that her flowers were finally getting the attention it deserved. 

"Aw, that's sweet of you Ren. You're free to work here whenever you want, I certainly could use the help."

He agreed and said he wouldn't mind helping if she needed it. He had grown busy since the incident with Sae's palace so this was the first time in almost a month since he had been here. 

After waving goodbye, he went back to his main goal of seeking some cat clothes for Morgana. The cat's light snores filled from his hood and he saw his goal in mind. 

He was about to enter the store but someone's voice caught his attention. The voice itself had a stutter and Ren knew who it belonged to by heart. 

"S-senpai?" A certain redhead got out while locking eyes with the teen and he turned to face her. Sumire has on her jacket that she wore to practice and had a duffel bag which he assumed contained her gymnastics equipment. He smiled when he saw her, which caused her to flush and look down immediately.

She tried to take a deep breath but her heart rate jumped tenfold. She could feel her heart melt when she saw him, especially when their eyes met for more than a brief moment. He always had such a focused face, calm yet caring all the time. His eyes were so reassuring and whenever he smiled at her and only her, her body felt like it was burning hotter than the sun. Her palms felt sweaty immediately as he closed a bit of the distance between the two.

"Hey Sumire, I didn't expect to see you here. I'm guessing you're going to practice." He spoke softly, cautious of how nervous the girl seemed. 

The redhead slowly but surely raised her head to meet his but still couldn't gaze directly into him. He didn't think much of it, let alone assume it was something regarding his appearance. Poor Ren was unaware of the effect he had on people. He wasn't completely oblivious nonetheless but he assumed her shyness was how she usually was. Her confidence had taken a crucial blow thanks to the recent revolution. 

"M-mhmm. It's a bit l-later than usual but I have to do my best. B-but umm…" She trailed off with an obvious sense of worry going across her face. 

"Is everything okay?" He asked.

Sumire hesitated a bit but proceeded after realizing that he would lend an ear to all of her problems. She desperately wanted to be there for him for all of his but she wasn't confident enough in herself. She was scared of failing and him being disappointed in her and then never talking to her and then- 

_ " _ Sumire?" He asked worryingly seeing that she froze up, muttering some incomprehensible words.

"O-oh I-I'm sorry u-umm!" Her voice was frantic after realizing she messed up again.

" _ Classic Sumire." Her mind whispered, shattering her confidence again. _

But his sweet words helped bring her mind under control.

"Take your time." His lips curled up into a slight smile to reassure her.

After a few moments to compose herself, she spoke about her problem.

"W-well do y-you remember when I w-wore my hair up as Kasumi?" 

He nodded.

"I n-need to wear it up for p-practice so that it doesn't get in m-my eyes but umm…"

"My h-hands are too scared to do it. I'm afraid that I'm not going to be m-myself again." 

"Sumire…"

She looked downcast as she said the rest of what her mind beckoned her to utter.

"M-maybe it'd be better that way." She whispered to herself.

He shook his head and had an idea in mind to bring her spirits up. 

  
  


"Can I see your ribbon?" He asked.

She unwrapped it from her wrist and handed it to him with a hint of confusion.

"May I?" He asked, and she nodded.

His soft hands gilded past her hair and wrapped it in a neat bun that let her hair stay put without any movement. The ribbon stayed perfectly put and it was a perfect knot. 

"You said your hair had to be up for practice." His smile filled her with glee that got her out of her gloomy state. 

"And that'll be a look that's exclusively Sumire's and Sumire's only." His amiable voice combated the inner workings of her mind that only screamed her insecurities over and over. She felt so happy with him.

He grasped her hands with his and led her to a mirror that was in the shop. Their hands may have only been in contact for a few moments but Sumire didn't want it to end. She saw her reflection and it looked…

Beautiful.

Her glasses were still on but her hair was out of the way of her eyes. Most of all, the reflection felt so complete with the two of them standing so close. So close…

"Eeep!" She yelped realizing how close they were with their hands still together. She didn't want it to end but her heart couldn't handle it. Her cheeks flushed, her eyes were wide open, and she almost tripped but his hand pulled her back to safety.

"T-thank y-you." She whispered back while looking at him but he just chucked a bit.

"I'm glad you're okay. So, do you like the bun?" 

"It's amazing s-senpai! B-but, u-umm, d-do you l-like it?"

There wasn't an ounce of hesitation or worry in his voice. Pure genuine honesty and affection for her in three words. "I love it." 

  
  
  


And with that, Sumire's heart burst.

  
  
  


**_~transition thingy~_ **

After feeling her organs pump blood vigorously into her mind, she eventually regained herself to see her senpai's worrying look. He inspected to make sure she was okay and their faces were so close; she could feel his breath and it smelled like coffee. So sweet and she could taste it too if she just leaned i- 

Her brain short-circuited again and the ravenette realized that he should probably give her some time to recover. He stepped back and looked at the mirror.

They looked happy together. These moments were the ones he cherished in his memory. Simple memories that might be overlooked in the big events like their phantom thieving but honestly, he loved these far more. 

After a few minutes, she was able to communicate with somewhat understandable words.

"A-are you b-buying s-some n-new clothes s-senpai?" She stammered out, trying to change the topic while her mind lingered on those words bouncing in her head.

_ "I loved it."  _

"Mhm, but these are for Morgana." He turned his hood towards her to show the sleeping fur-ball snuggled in his coat. 

"I don't want him to get too chilly so I wanted to buy him a few things. Do you want to help me pick out a few things?" 

"You have an eye for cute things." He added on causing her to blush again. 

"I-i'd l-like to i-if that's o-okay w-with you." She stammered out while the compliment spun around her head. If he said any more sweet things, she might need to go to the hospital and rest for a long time. 

"Of course it is. I hope I don't end up making you late for practice though." His face had some worry about it. Her goals and dreams were very important to Ren and he wanted to support her toward them.

Ren had a lot of things to like about Sumire but the most striking part about her was her passion for gymnastics. He admired people who had big goals and tirelessly worked towards them. Even if she felt unconfident about herself, for the time being, he knew that she would realize how amazing she truly is. Along with her determination, she was kind, caring, and very sweet. 

"N-no n-no it's okay!" She exclaimed, not wanting to miss any time with him. 

She quickly covered her hands over her mouth after realizing how loud she was but it didn’t deter his high spirits. 

“I’m glad.” 

Thankfully there was a bit of silence for Sumire to recollect her thoughts and return to a normal, not tomato face looking, face color. She followed her senpai to the portion of the store made for pet clothes and gazed at all the different options starry-eyed. 

“There’s a lot of different options but I did want Morgana to be very well-dressed for when we go into the palace today.”

Sumire tried to hide her shock of them going into the danger again. She trusted him in his endeavors but that didn’t stop her worrying. 

“O-oh, you two are g-going in there?” 

“It’ll be us two and Goro for the time being. Hopefully, we can bring the others back to their senses and help us.” He shifted through some of the racks and found an adorable yellow sweater with a poofy collar and showed it to the redhead, who nodded in approval.

She wanted to help but she knew that she would be a hindrance even if she were to convince Ren to let her join, at least for now. She wasn’t even strong enough to tie her hair together but she felt herself getting stronger with him. Within time, she could help him as he helped her. 

She spotted another cute sweater and flashed it to him, a teal blue cashmere one that looked as striking as her (in Ren’s mind at least). 

“That looks great.” He grinned at her, and her heart combusted again. 

After finding several other items, including a few hats, they had about 30 items to buy. Ren went to go pay for the items and purchased them without a second thought. It came out to be somewhat expensive but after buying a house, nothing seemed that expensive anymore. 

“He’s still sleeping, wanna help me dress him up?” He asked, setting the bag down and taking the cat very gently out of his jacket. His sleeping appearance was quite a sight, as he rolled up into a tiny fur-ball appearance. 

“Is Morgana-senpai usually with you? I didn’t see him the other day in your bag.” She questioned while neatly taking out the yellow sweater. 

“Oh, I haven’t told you what happened to him. Dr. Maruki used his powers on all of the thieves to give them their ‘dreams’. For Morgana, the doctor made him a human because Morgana wanted to be accepted by everyone. But, it wasn’t his choice to be like this. The doctor brainwashed him to live how he thought it was best.” 

“I-i see.” She spoke, realizing how weak she was to let herself be brainwashed. She hated herself for it. Misleading everyone that she was as strong as her sister, as brave as her, as courageous as her when she was simply a monster playing dress-up to make herself feel better. 

He saw the despair flicker within her face and although he was unaware of how painful her self-loathing was, he still wanted to help. 

“It wasn’t anyone’s fault for it happening, especially you Sumire. You trusted him to help you, and he betrayed that. The doctor hasn’t exactly been truthful with us about his true intentions, and that’s why we’re going to take him down.” 

“Thank you.” She replied, finally getting the sweater on Morgana while Ren put tiny gloves onto his paws. 

The cat then woke up after the contact, slowly but surely.

He yawned before opening his eyes, stretching his tiny arms to see they now had tiny black gloves on them. 

“W-what have you done to me?!?” The cat exclaimed dramatically. 

“I think we did a great job Sumi, he looks ready to win a cat beauty pageant and fight crime.” 

She blushed at the nickname before feeling her heartbeat faster and faster.

“I had no choice in this! I want a recall!!!” The cat bouned off and went to go see his view in the mirror. 

After checking himself out for a minute or two, he accepted his fate. “I do look quite dashing in this.” He remarked.

The two laughed and the redhead felt strangely warm. She never really had any friends or close moments with anyone besides her family, and this made her feel so tingly inside. Was this what it was like for other people? She never wanted it to end but her phone beeping got her attention.

She took it out and saw the time, gasping at how fast time flew by.

“Oh, it’s almost time for practice. This was r-really fun, d-do y-you think we c-could do t-this again s-sometime?” 

“Of course. Good luck at practice Sumire, I know you’ll do great.” His simple words of reassurance would be in her mind for the remainder of her workout. This would be one of her best practices so far, all thanks to him. 

She waved goodbye and departed for a grueling session with her coach but her mind was in a state of pure bliss for it. 

Going back to the cat and the ravenette, the cat was posing dramatically in the mirror. 

“Do you think Lady Ann would like this sweater? Does she like yellow? What if she hates it? Wait, no, it matches her hair! This means its perfect!” The cat muttered to himself while walking across the floor to his reflection over and over, plotting something that no one could understand. 

“Important thing is that you won’t be cold anymore as I’d prefer you not freezing when we go anywhere. Besides, Sumire and I think you look good so I think Ann and the others would approve. Haru would probably upload a few pictures of you online if she were to see you.” Ren spoke his thoughts. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out this fic by my favorite chair, chair 2 ~ https://archiveofourown.org/works/24763723/chapters/59875639


	8. At the Bottom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update: I'm currently dying from summer courses at a Uni near me, well technically it's like a three-hour drive if I was able to actually go on campus without COVID but hey that's fine. It's only for a total of six weeks but taking it with mostly college kids that are in their first/second/third year so I'm like a minimum of two years younger so that's neat. Anyways, yes I made this chapter in the course of this weekend after not having time to write anything for a month. I have about four weeks left for it and midterms are this week but I'll get on with it, I suppose. 
> 
> Apologies for the drop in writing quality and the Sojiro/Futaba/Wakaba scene. It's been difficult to write those parts of the chapter but I think the end of it is much more typical of abilities. Until next time.

"Rennnnnn Im hungryyy." The cat bemoaned while prancing around in his adorable yellow sweater. The employees in the shop found it to be the cutest thing to happen in the store and asked the teen if they would be able to take some photos. The fur-ball didn't notice as he was stuck in his own thoughts. 

_ "Lady Ann has to like this!"  _ And other similar thoughts were revolving in his brain. 

"We'll grab something small for now. We still have a lot of other stuff to do before the plan, remember?" The teen leaned down and plucked the cat off the ground. He stayed on his shoulder as they left the store and then entered the bag, with a protruding head as usual. 

"What's first on the agenda?" The cat questioned as they were walking away from the mall. 

"Some general supplies for the trip. I think some gear from Iwai would be a good stop and then we can drop by the clinic for some concoctions. We should probably drop by Leblanc to make some coffee for later tonight but I don't know if Sojiro would let us." 

"Yeah but there are like two customers in there at most!" The cat argued.

Ren chuckled but then he brought up another reason.

"Wakaba and Futaba are probably there too knowing the time though." 

He really didn't want to see her. How do you talk with someone you don't know that's supposedly been there? Furthermore, how was Futaba still the same? Her entire journey was to be able to interact with people other than Ren, Morgana and Sojiro. She had to fight her own inner demons and he had never felt prouder when she accomplished her goals. It almost felt like he was seeing a younger sibling grow up. But now… 

It didn't make sense. 

"Oh right. Jeez, I don't think I know how to go about it now either. Do you think they'll understand me now that I'm back to normal?" He pondered. 

"That's a good question. Let's hope we don't have to test it though. Maybe they'll be having a family dinner at Wakaba's or Sojiro's. But I have a feeling that Maruki is trying to grant some paternal link between Sojiro and I. Maybe even trying to make us all one happy, inseparable family." He reasoned.

The cat gave him a concerned look. "How much power do you think he has? He brought back all these people that were long dead and he got into all of our heads to find out our desires… I'm worried Ren."

The cat's eyes looked spooked as he glanced up to the boy that seemed confident as ever. 

"I don't think we've seen the full extent of his powers to be honest." He paused.

Although honesty was one of Ren's charming features, he was aware that sometimes it would be easier to lie for reassurance. But, he was sure that they could do this.

"But, I do know that we can stop him. Instead of swarming us with violence, he's trying an emotional approach to coerce us. Honestly, I can't say that I prefer the emotional approach over the hack and slash one we had but we'll get through it. We've made it this far after all." He continued.

The fur-ball took in the information and thought about it in silence. He was mulling over asking the boy another question but for the time being, he waited as they made their way to the airsoft shop. 

Ren bought equipment for the two of them, getting vast upgrades on the guns they used along with some better armour. He was tempted to use the Velvet Room for the equipment and to fuse some better personas, but that wasn't a possibility still. Where were they? 

That was another question Ren had no answer to whenever it rang in his head. Actually, he was struggling to remember just what happened after he shot god. Everything happened so fast really. 

But, he still remembered talking with Igor and Lavenza after his journey had concluded. But another threat arose which meant that it wasn't finished, no? 

"Hey kid ya done? You've been zoning out for five minutes already." Iwai grumbled while changing lollipop sticks. 

He snapped back to reality and nodded. 

"Good. Make sure you don't do anything stupid with that stuff." He remarked while going back to reading whatever magazine he had. 

The teen and cat walked outside the shop after securing their belongings. 

"Hey Ren… " Morgana's voice was barely audible, which worried Ren. The only time he remembered the cat being like this was when he was feeling insecure about his use and place in the team. It usually meant that he was worried about something.

"Do you think Maruki rewrote some of our-" Morgana's words were cut off by Ren's phone ringing. 

The cat mused down and the teen picked up the phone.

"Hello?" He asked. It probably wasn't the best idea to never check the caller ID but bad habits stick true through everything. 

"Ren! My son, my offspring, my favorite criminal! Ah it's so good to hear your voice, these last few weeks have been boringggg. Your mother's been so emotional about leaving the house and moving but she's also pretty excited about the city life. Personally, I can't wait to see all the bars!"

Ren laughed at his dad's antics. His humor and zany personality certainly hadn't changed. 

"Dad you don't even drink." 

"Oh, of course not! But do you know how fun it is to see people get absolutely wasted? Imagine I run into one of your teachers and hear all the dirt they have on other ones!"

"Is this another one of your social experiments?" He questioned.

"No, I did have to test something with cognitive-behavioral science though. But that was an experiment hmmm." His father stopped for a moment to think.

"Actually… you might be onto something. I'll need some help though, how would you like to help me with?" 

"As long as mom approves." Ren remembered how his mother had absolutely ripped into his dad after involving him with some of his dad's attempts at "changing science as we know it". The result was a broken microwave and a car crashing into a lampost. 

"Ah, you see…. If she never finds out about it, she can't stop us. Do we have an understanding?" His dad tried to sound serious with the question but it didn't work.

"She's going to football tackle the both of us, isn't she?" 

The two shivered when remembering that incident. Who knew that reading books and teaching made someone a powerful tackler?

"Oh god, that's why we don't let her find out Ren. In other news, I hear you have a girlfriend?" 

He groaned, was everyone assuming that he was in a romantic relationship this week? 

"No dad. Where is everyone finding this information? The source does not seem credible at all." 

"Oh you know, just heard it through the grapevine. Darn, your mother was really looking forward to it. Regardless,she mentioned you spoke very highly of your friends and I joked that some of them might be criminals too. She didn't take that too kindly though." His father sighed with that remark. 

"She tackled you." Ren deadpanned. 

"Yup! But besides all the teasing and jokes, your mom and I are really looking forward to seeing you again. Stay safe kiddo, maybe if you get arrested again it'll get cancelled out!" He joked at the end but then looked both ways to make sure his wife didn't hear. She was still bitter about everything that went down. 

"Thanks dad, I can't wait to see you guys again." The call ended and Ren had another positive to his day really.

"Your dad sounds so cool, a little crazy though." Morgana remarked, clearly engrossed in the conversation. 

"He's a bit chaotic but he means well." His grin painted the soft features of his face in a better light as they made their way across the streets. 

The cat didn't have too many opportunities to see the boy at ease, in fact ever really. He was always thinking, planning out things, and having such a mature and calculating aura around him that it was surreal to see him genuinely happy. He was always the ear to everyone's problems but the cat realized something else, was anyone ever the shoulder for him to lean on? 

Well, Morgana considered himself to be one of those said persons. He felt like he understood Ren but there was a lot that he didn't know about him, like how close he was to his family. He figured he should ask since he couldn't recall what he was saying earlier.

"Say Ren, what did your parents say to you when you got charged with assault?" 

He stopped walking when his mind took in the question. Thinking about that day…

It made him. 

Not angry.

Not sad. 

But disappointed. 

It felt like the entire world swallowed him up and spit out a skeleton of his former self. At least, that's how it felt at first. Through time and trials, he grew as a person that didn't have any regrets about what he did back then. 

Ren went back to the question he was asked by his sweater wearing fur-ball. 

"I don't recall but I think it was mostly because everything happened too fast." He inferred. 

Morgana seemed downcast. "I see."

The cat had a growing hunch but he couldn't place his finger on what it was exactly. 

Within time, the two entered the clinic and bought some pills from their friendly neighborhood drug dealer. They had gotten the base supplies out of the way which meant that they only had one thing left, to appease Morgana's appetite. 

But the cat still scoured his mind for more details to try to complete his hunch. His mind was mired in unnecessary thoughts but he resolved to uncover this mystery. 

"Hey Ren... when was the last time you spoke with your parents? Before this week, specifically." The fur-ball asked. The teen had never heard from his parents ever and it was a strange coincidence that they suddenly called out of nowhere. The cat was reluctant to ask because he didn't want to confront whatever may lie ahead if his suspicion was right. 

"Well… I don't recall them ever picking up when I called them during the year." He trailed off thinking hard about any events that might have contradicted his words. 

"I remember how down you were when they didn't pick up… But they called you, out of the blue and they-"

"Sounded exactly like how I remembered them." Ren concluded the cat's sentence. He said the words slowly, trying to make his mind register them as the disbelief tried to overcome the common sense within the conclusion. How had he overlooked this? 

The fur-ball nodded. 

"You're right, it is pretty suspicious.” He went deep into thought about the situation and tried to be as pragmatic as possible. 

“Do you think this is the doctor's attempt at granting my 'dreams'? It would make sense. Restoring the family dynamic I had with my parents, along with all the love I could ever want." He remarked, shaking his head with a slight hint of indignation. 

"Everything my parents said sounds exactly like they would say… No actually, everything they said were things that I wanted to hear. I really fell for it though." His lips curled into a frown. The emotion felt foreign after his elated mode but it seemed to be ephemeral. 

"I'm sorry Ren." Morgana realized that he put the teen in a bad mood from it, even if it was unconfirmed. 

"It's not your fault Morg, I'm glad you talked to me about it. Now that I know that my parents are being brainwashed, I should be wary."

"Maybe they had a change of heart and just have been busy?" The cat fancied a theory.

The ravenette had a sad smile. 

"Maybe. But everything lines up too perfectly, don't you think?"

The cat agreed with a slight nod. 

"We'll confirm our suspicions sooner rather than later but let's grab something light at Leblanc. Hopefully, we won't run into the usual occupants." The leader concluded.

The fur-ball opted to let silence linger as they made their way back. The teen's face had a mix of emotions as Morgana concluded that he was delving deeper into the conversations with his parents. Analyzing each word, the tone of their voices, and the way they spoke, Ren thought that it sounded exactly like them. 

But, were they brainwashed into caring for him? He wasn't able to speak even a word with them after the arrest. The court case was brief and unfair, and before he knew it, he was shipped out and "dealt with". 

Did they… care about him after the incident? 

He realized that he wouldn't be able to tell until he confirmed it in Maruki's palace as whatever brainwashing was done, most likely affected them as well. 

But at the same time, it felt too real to be anything else. 

While the raveling of his mind took place, Ren and his favorite clock arrived at LeBlanc. The lights were still on as he stopped outside. Peering inside, he spotted the trio he was not looking forward to seeing. Futaba seemed to be playing a video game and Sojiro seemed to be cooking dinner while talking with Wakaba. They really did seem like a married couple in those instances. They held nothing but affection for one another while also treating their orange gremlin as model parents. 

Perhaps in another world, this is what would've been best for them. 

But that's not where they lived. 

Even if they did, Ren didn't want a part in it nor did Morgana. The latter took a deep breath after popping out from the cozy bag that he had gotten so used to. 

He pushed the door open with the bell's chime sounding their arrival. Futaba was still entranced at her video game but looked up and smiled at the pair before going back to button mashing on her laptop. 

The pseudo-married couple smiled warmly at the two as Sojiro gave his trademark "Ah, you're back." 

"It's good to see you Ren. Would you like to help with dinner? Maybe you can cook better than this old kook, he tends to focus more on impressing me than the content." Wakaba remarked. 

He had to laugh at that one. Even if she made him uncomfortable after everything that happened in Futaba's palace, he did have to admit that Futaba did take after her in a lot of ways. The sincere sometimes snide remarks were always welcome. Perhaps he could pretend to be content with the events, but he still had a different focus than dinner with the Sakuras. 

"What time is it?" He asked while taking a seat at the bar and placing the bag down next to him. Morgana fully emerged from the bag with his yellow sweater in full view before Futaba spotted him. 

"You dressed him up?! All right Mona, get over here!" The orange haired teen went to chase the cat who tried to escape her dangerous hands of pinching.

Meanwhile, Sojiro answered the boy's question. 

"It's about to be 9 and don't tell me you're going out this late if you decline dinner." He remarked while getting to brewing some coffee. He had a feeling Ren could use some and he was correct. The teen observed the brewer as he held his usual elegance and poise in crafting it. Meanwhile, Wakaba went to inspect her formula for the curry and follow it accordingly. 

"It isn't that late yet." The boy quietly remarked. 

"Oh my, don't tell me Ren is going out late at night to do some suspicious activities. I think all of Sojiro's history lessons of him 'wooing' girls may be influencing your young mind. Remember Ren, the story tellers are the ones that can decide the details heard." She said while stirring the pot. 

Ren gave a questioning look to Wakaba while Sojiro was sweating profusely for a reason that he was unaware of. 

"What do you mean by that?" He asked. 

"Oh let's just say that his stories don't include some, more so many, of the times when he didn't succeed. Did I ever tell you of his attempt at trying to get my attention?" 

Suddenly, Ren felt like this wouldn't be as bad as he thought it would have. He could get through pretending if it meant he could better understand someone and this may help him understand how important Wakaba was to Sojiro and Futaba. Perhaps he could put in some slight reminders or hints that things aren’t the way they seem.

"This sounds like the perfect dinner topic." The teen responded with a small smile. It was one step at a time, he could adjust for this ephemeral period. 

"I, uh, don't know what she's talking about." The cafe owner tried to play it off. 

"Oh and don't even get me started on when he started using 'hoo boy'." She concluded and they all laughed at Sojiro's expense. 

"REN HELP SHE'S HURTING MY CHEEKS!" The cat pleaded while being attacked by the girl. 

"Hehehe kitty go meow~" Futaba had him in her snares. 

_ "I suppose we do have some time to kill and this would keep things less suspicious. _ " The ravenette thought before he joined in preparing dinner. The curry looked mostly done except the final touches which Ren had memorized after learning from Sojiro for so long. Wakaba went to stop the cat from being tickled and inspected his new sweater. 

"I wouldn't have expected you to pick this out for Morgana. Did you have some help with picking it out?" She asked, with equal bits curiosity and laughter.

He nodded. 

"Hey wait I wanna help with picking Mona's outfits next time!" Futaba complained before trying another attempt at Morgana's face. 

"Nooooooooooooo!" The cat yelled while running to Ren's legs as a makeshift cover. 

After similar Futaba shenanigans, things had finally settled down and the four, plus a cat, were sitting at the table. 

The curry's aroma had a wonderful smell to it and it looked as great as one would expect from their cooking. They all had smiles on their faces, except the pair that were aware that things weren't right. 

"Can't believe it's almost been a whole year since you came here kid. I expected a criminal but instead you arrived." The cafe owner remarked while looking at the boy, in respect and a sense of pride. 

"Ah yes, I think you called him an unruly kid before tossing him into the attic. You certainly took a while to warm up to him." Wakaba remarked while eating a spoonful of curry.

"Hey now, I was just trying to be careful for you two. I didn't expect him to be so…" Sojiro attempted to figure out the best word to describe the boy without being too soft, especially with Wakaba around. She would have a field day if he was being too emotional. 

Ren had an idea of what he first called him and opted to finish the sentence for him. 

"Unruly." He stated, causing the two girls to laugh at Sojiro's expense. 

"That was one time." He grumbled and laughed after some time. 

"To be fair, you were quite determined to do anything you deemed necessary. Heck, nothing can stop you when you're sure of doing something." The cat affirmed before taking a bite out of the portion of curry set out for him. 

"Mona's right! You didn't even follow the curfew Sojiro set for you hehehehehe." 

"Rules are meant to be broken." Ren added before realizing he sounded like Ryuji. 

"Is that what you said before getting arrested?” The gremlin quipped before her mother reprimanded her but Ren waved it off as it wasn’t really a sour topic to him now. Wakaba and Sojiro went to talk about a different matter which gave Ren some time to talk with their daughter.

“Hey Futaba, do you still have the list of all your goals?” 

“Of course! I still have it with me actually, but uhhhhhh” She looked perplexed as she tried to recall what her list was for. 

“What’s wrong?” Morgana asked, with a bit of curry on his fur which Ren cleaned up while they awaited her to answer. 

“Uhhh do you remember why we went through them? I can’t remember why I was scared of doing things on my own. It’s not like I’m that weird right?” She laughed thinking at the possibility of her being scared of anything. She was Futaba Sakura, and she could do anything with the support of her loving family, which obviously included the cat and the teen. 

Ren gave a quiet sigh as he smiled on and gave a forced shrug. “Maybe it was just something in the moment.”

It hurt.

To feel as if the journey you went through with someone was for naught, because they never had a problem to overcome. Without hardships, people remained stagnant and comfortable in where they were. To hear that Futaba couldn’t recall what her troubles were, was a blow to Ren’s heart. He had felt so happy at seeing her grow over the large fear, and seeing her go somewhere all on her own was surreal. 

Morgana was concerned as well. He recalled how the girl had always needed Ren and Morgana there to do anything but seeing her overcome that reliance was a special moment for him as well. Even if she did attack his cute cat self, she was still caring for him and treated him well, even if her methods were strange. 

“Yeah maybe you’re right! Anywaysssss, Inari told me that he’s been really busy lately with his painting stuff but he wanted you to help him with some sculpting thing tomorrow. He wanted to text you but he sacrificed his phone in the name of art or something like that. Speaking of, did ya lose your phone or something?” 

“Did your trackers tell you that?” He smirked seeing that she was keeping track of his cellular activity. It was a smart call to let Goro take care of that just as a precaution. 

“Hehehe you know me too well. But for real though, you didn't lose it or anything right?”

He quickly came up with the fastest lie he could’ve made in the moment.

“I think I left it in my locker by accident. I’ll get it tomorrow and try to contact Yusuke for whatever help he needs. Do you know what exactly he needed?” 

“I dunno, something about nudity probably though. He’s probably gonna be like “YOU MUST STRIP, FOR I MUST DEPICT BEAUTY” or something like that.” 

“Hey what are you guys talking about?” Sojiro interjected after hearing some bits of their conversation. Hearing nudity and strip from your daughter certainly wasn’t a great sign. 

“Uhh nothing!” She exclaimed before going back to her food, causing a sigh from the cafe owner. 

“You kids worry me, you know.” He remarked before collecting some of the finished dishes. 

“You’re starting to sound like a grandfather, Sojiro. Before you know it, you’ll start ranting about things back in your day.” Wakaba added before helping him collect the dishes. 

“He already does that mom!” She added to further the attack on the man. Within a few moments, everything was relatively cleaned up and the happy family trio seemed in a whole different realm while organizing some things. Being with the people you loved certainly gave a certain air off, one where everything seemed so positive and time seemed to move faster than anything you could expect. You could appreciate the amount of time you spend with them and feel content with whatever came after, no matter what it was. 

While the three were conversing, Ren and Morgana looked at one another. Their eyes sharing the same pained look as they realized that whatever they would try, wouldn’t have the effect that they hoped for. At least, it wouldn’t work right then and there. They were too happy to be pulled out into reality, overjoyed at the prospect of having what they loved so dearly. Futaba didn’t remember her overcoming her issues and wanted this, more than anything else. Sojiro had the woman he loved so dearly back into his life and it seemed perfect for them, wasn’t it? 

Ren should’ve been happy for them, they were able to fulfill what had been missing from them for so painfully long. But he couldn’t.

It wasn’t right but what constituted right anymore? 

“Wait Neo-Featherman is on! Mom, Dad, we have to go home to watch it!” Futaba bustled her way into the exit of the cafe while waiting for her parents to follow. 

“All right all right, just hold on a second.” Sojiro said while setting down the plates into the sink and then had his hand tugged on by Wakaba. 

“C’mon, we can’t keep Futaba waiting can we?” She said, their hands locking while Sojiro seemed to beam a smile that Ren had never seen before. 

_ “He really loved Wakaba.” _ He thought in his head, seeing the awestruck look on his face as the couple went to follow their daughter home. Old love was certainly something he hadn’t seen. The way their eyes seemed to be only for one another as they went through so many stages of their lives. That’s truly what Sojiro wanted, wasn’t it? A normal life shared with people he cared so dearly for. A simple yet elusive goal. 

“Hey kid, mind washing the dishes?” The older man asked, which he nodded to before being dragged off. 

“Thanks, and feel free to stop by if you want to watch, whatever show Futaba was talking about, with us.” He said warmly, before they were at the door. 

“Don’t be a stranger Ren, we all care about you two. You and Morgana are an important part of this family.” Futaba’s mother added, before the two left completely. 

_ ~transition thingy~ _

The air felt more normal with their departure. The lights remained fixated on them as the cold, wind breezed in with the brief opening of the door. Morgana was sprawled out on the table after eating too much and could finally have the table too himself, his yellow sweater making him feel far too comfortable to just sleep again. 

While the cat tried not to let Hypno’s clutches consume him, Ren contemplated the events of the dinner. Breaking the reality for them… It seemed impossible. He could force them to realize but it would leave such a bitter taste to his mouth. It would be like denying their happiness, even if it wasn’t real. Taking Futaba away from her mother… 

It made him feel malevolent and selfish;so for now, he’d leave them to enjoy this for as long as it lasted but he couldn’t live like this.

“Have you ever seen Boss this happy Morg?” He asked while scratching the fur-ball’s head. 

The cat shook his head no. 

“Let’s leave them be for now. I think we’re better off trying to get the others slowly, maybe by the order they joined.” 

“Do you think there’s a relationship between that? I mean, you and Akechi were the first two to awaken your personas and were the ones against Maruki. Then it was me and I came back to my senses thanks to you. Maybe we should go in order?” The cat pondered. 

“It might be something like that. Regardless, we’ll keep trying to reach out to them by talking.” 

“Sounds good. What time is it anyways? Maybe a little cat nap will help me prepare for our mission!’ 

“So you admit you’re a cat now?” The teen laughed.

  
“The best of the best, I’ll have you now!” 

The ravenette went to go wash the dishes while the cat lied around to gain some rest. After going to his old room, he got some infiltration tools and some other general supplies. The only nagging thing in his mind was that he couldn't fuse personas which was always a downside to missions. But with Morgana, he and Goro could focus on attack while he provided support. 

After getting everything ready, he gently placed Morgana into his bag and went to the meet-up spot in Odaiba. He arrived there slightly early, seeing that the detective hadn’t arrived yet. He leaned against the wall, taking solace in the silence of the night. 

He heard footsteps approaching and straightened his position, lightly tapping on Morgana’s head to wake him up. The cat grumbled about before popping out his head. 

The brunette arrived with his briefcase in tow and glanced at the two before giving a small, somewhat malicious, smirk. 

“Here.” He handed the leader his phone and adjusted his hair. 

The brunette then detailed what he had done exactly with his phone. 

“You shouldn’t have any issues with tracking as long as Futaba doesn’t get her hands on it. Specifically, if she tries to track your whereabouts and messages, you can send dummy things to appease her whims. You know, there would be a much simpler way of dealing with her.” He remarked, looking at the palace they were going to enter within moments.

“Yeah but I don’t think arresting her is what any of us want Akechi.” Morgana quipped.

“That’s not what I was….” He sighed, while the other two smiled at the detective’s chagrin. 

“Let’s just enter this damn place. I need it after today.” He remarked while biting his lip in excitement of killing shadows. It was a badly needed stress reliever after pretending to be so docile and innocent in front of everyone. He loved being able to express his true nature here and with certain people. He wouldn’t admit it, but he was somewhat amicable with the two here. Obviously he could work with his rival without an issue, but the cat wasn’t as insufferable as some of the other phantom thieves. If he ever heard that blonde idiot say “FOR REAL!”, he might have to bash his head against a lamp post. 

For now, he could deal with whatever antics they usually were up to. 

“Bad day?” Ren remarked while placing his phone in his pocket after pressing the navigation app.

“More so clamoring from idiots that don’t know when to stop blabbing their mouths. Nijima-san and his daughter are painful to be around. Who knew that talking with people who are supposed to be dead would prove to be so tiring.”

“Right, Makoto’s father is alive in this reality.” He thought out loud.

“Yes, and everything is barfing rainbows made of happiness in every given moment. I hate each second of it.” He remarked coldy. 

They entered the palace and wore their outfits, as Morgana took another look at the palace. It was just like he remembered from the time they helped out Sumire after she accidentally entered it so long ago. But, it still was noticeably darker as it was late. The pitch black exterior with the dim lights provided an establishment that masked their dark outfits quite well, but felt ominous nonetheless. 

“This place gives me a bad feeling.” The fur-ball remarked, looking at the place in closer detail. 

“It certainly isn’t mundane, so I’ll give the good doctor credit for complexity. I hope we don’t have to bear through any more pointless flashbacks.” Goro cracked his neck before Ren gave the basis for their plan.

“We’ll use the safe room to navigate back to where we left off yesterday. I don’t think we’re even close to the end of this palace so we should try to progress as much as we can. We don’t have Makoto for in-battle tactics nor Futaba for analyses but I think we’ll manage.”

“Got it Joker.” The cat agreed and the three climbed back up to the last safe room and made their way to the hallways. They took out several stray shadows without any issue and Morgana’s support skills helped pay dividends to their consumption of items. Similarly, Ren didn’t have to use energy for healing all of them and was much more focused on the fights. 

Their mission was going well until they stumbled onto a large door that was engulfed in red flames at the top of it. It had a cross onto it and ashes of some kind at the floor leading up to it. Ren gave it a slight push to see if it would open, resulting in it being ajar. 

“This place looks different than the rest. I don’t think it's a safe room but it doesn’t seem to have any enemies inside it. It does lead to the next part of the palace though. Do you know what it could be?” Morgana pondered, looking at the door to see if he could understand what it was. It had two tails of fire as a symbol of sorts. It felt familiar but he couldn’t place his paw on what it could be. 

“I think so. Crow, stand guard outside of the door. Mona and I will investigate and see if it's a clear path.”

“Hmph, all right.” He understood the reasoning without a second thought. 

“This might be similar to what we saw with Ryuji, so stay alert Mona.” The fur-ball nodded at his advice. 

The two opened the door completely and it was pitch-black except the bits of light escaping from the previous room. After about five steps in complete darkness, the door snapped shut with a loud thud. Morgana jumped up while Ren slowly turned back and sighed. 

The room brightened as soon as a bright ember flashed from the middle of the room. It stayed alight in a glass setting as they were able to see the room for themselves. It was littered with clothes on the floor and sugary treats, along with some things on the wall. At first glance, one would assume it was some strange wallpaper on the red backdrop of the room. But, Ren’s senses could tell something was amiss. 

Morgana looked around the room, and felt his heart drop. Everything reminded him of Lady Ann, and he recognized a lot of the sweets she ate on the ground. All the clothes and outfits she wore were ones that he remembered seeing in the magazines Ren had gotten from her. Was this… her room or something? He was taken back but tried to be as firm as Ren with his resolution. 

The flames eventually stopped roaring but it remained there, illuminating the room as the lighting stayed consistent finally. 

The two looked around for a door of some sort but failed to find one at first glance.

“I think we have to look through the room and try to find a way out. Do you think you can do this Mona? I think this might be a cognitive version of Ann with all the details in here.” 

“Of course! What kind of gentleman thief would I be if I didn't save the beautiful Lady Ann” He tried to be brave and stand up tall, but his voice betrayed him. Truth be told, he was scared of what he’d find here. That he’d be too weak to accept any new information he learned. After hearing the details of what Ryuji went through, he was frightened to see the painful experiences of everyone in explicit detail. 

“It’s okay if you don’t want to see all of this. It’s hard, knowing what they went through.” He remarked, nuzzling the cat’s head with his hand. 

He took the silence and saw the look in his friend’s eyes. They were focused and ready, but they still showed warmth and understanding that never failed to ever leave his figure. He wanted to be like Ren, and show him that he could rely on him as well. 

Ren moved forward to see what was exactly on the walls that caught his eye and Morgana followed shortly after, making sure to look up at the scenes. The first thing they saw was a photo of Ann, but it was her when she was much younger. She and Shiho were playing at a playground and Ann still had her trademark pigtails while Shiho seemed a lot happier.

The pair hadn’t seen Shiho with that expression. One that didn’t have bags under their eyes and eyes that suggested scars that would never heal. One that had her enjoying life instead of vacant expression that found it hard to breathe at every given moment. One that didn’t have her life changed by the abuse of an adult that knew no wrong. 

The pair felt cold looking at the photo. It seemed so far back in time and Ren went to see it closer, bit by bit before he realized that the photo was making some sort of sounds. 

“There’s voices coming out of the photo.” He noted to Morgana. 

“Is this how we enter the flashbacks?” He questioned.

“Maybe. Let’s reach into it and see if we’re sent anywhere.” The cat jumped up onto Ren’s shoulders and he reached into the photo, slowly arching himself inch by inch towards it. The voices got louder and eventually they were sucked into the memory.

They were seeing the playground scene and Ann seemed to be building a sandcastle of some sort. 

“Shiho look! It’s a sandman!” The blonde built a square instead however, but her best friend laughed. 

“I think that’s a house Ann!” She giggled and her friend pouted in childish sadness.

“Awww but I worked so hard on it!” She puffed her cheeks and crossed her arms.

“Don’t worry, I think it looks cool!” Shiho said before adding some more sand on top of it and adding more detail. 

“Really?” The blonde had a spark in her eye with those words filled with kindness. She wasn’t used to people ever being nice with her so every time she was Shiho, she felt relieved that she wasn’t being called names and objectified. 

  
  


“Mhm! Let’s make it even bigger though, so it’ll look even prettier!” Her raventte friend added while two got to work on it. 

“So, this is what Lady Ann was like back then.” Morgana said, somewhat cheerful that Ann was still so upbeat and positive. But in the back of his mind, he felt downcast that she and Shiho didn’t have that same relationship. Shiho had moved elsewhere and could rarely ever see her best friend, least of all revert to her old self. She was battered, emotionally and mentally to a point where she could rarely find happiness even with her closest friend. 

Ren agreed with all of those but remembered how the volleyball player had been able to go to the roof with Ann and hug her in relief that she could go back to the roof where everything took place. He remembered Ann’s determination when she said she was going to make Shiho proud and him proud as well. Her eyes were so bright and focused on that goal, it always warmed his heart then but that was in the past. This was the present. 

The memory ended after another minute and the two found themselves back into the room again. 

The flames seemed to get even stronger, pushing themselves to a more glorious blaze. 

“Let’s check out the other photos. My senses tell me that an important one is the one over there.” He pointed to the photo on the other side of the wall, seeming to be darker than the other sides of the room. His third-eyes gave him a premonition by highlighting said importance. 

The next photo was of just Ann but it was one from her photoshoots, striking a pose that was quite casual but still had her radiant smile. The pair reached towards it but they weren’t sucked in this time. Instead, the voices just seemed to get louder. At first, it was just one voice. 

“Didn’t you hear? Takamaki is a slut and she’s easy to get. C’mon, she’s just asking for people to get with. She’ll let ya do anything.” The words disgusted the pair with the slimy tone and its message. Ren dealt with his rumors without any care but they still stung at first. Everyone called him untrue things but Ann had it so much worse. She was targeted so often and found it hard to have any support, especially after what happened to Shiho.

The voices kept getting louder. 

“Eww, I heard Takamaki got it on with Kamoshida to make sure she could still attend Shujin. Did you really think a girl like her would earn things with hard work?” A girl with a bitchy tone added while laughing pretentious. 

“Why are they saying such hurtful things about her? None of them are true!” Morgana yelled in frustration.

Another one added something. 

“Oh she got in the ‘hard way’, probably with anyone that raised their hand. She’ll do anything if you just call her pretty. What a stuck up bitch.” Another added. 

“Ugh, she really latched onto that new transfer student as soon as he arrived. Of course, she would be all over a criminal like him, she’ll do anyone. Maybe Mr. Kamoshida threw her away after he found out how many guys she’s done. “

“Maybe that’s how she got into Shujin. There’s no way someone like her has anything of value besides her body.”

More and more added onto the clamor that eventually became a mess of words, voices, and echoing. They screamed insults, degrading Ann and even the photo had her smile slowly turn into a frown. 

Morgana shivered as he heard all of it. How could anyone deal with this much abuse and still function? Words couldn’t enter into his mind, nothing was registering as he placed his head down. Eventually, the voices panned out like the photo of Ann’s now somber face burned itself. 

The pair didn’t share any words but felt a pain in their hearts about the matter. They couldn’t have known how much of this she dealt with, the voices constantly belittling her more and more.

They slowly made their way as Joker led to the next photo but what they saw was something they didn’t expect. A picture of the volleyball team with Kamoshida at the front, with a hand right next to Shiho. His hand wasn’t exactly next to her, as in on her shoulder or hovering over, but it was hidden by her body. At a glance, one wouldn’t notice. But as the two leaned in closer to it, they saw the expression on her eyes. A look of fear and concern for her wellbeing as the hand was clearly making her uncomfortable. Where could he have placed the hand? Somewhere that a teacher shouldn’t have placed it, seemed obvious. 

“You don’t think….” Morgana trailed off as he tried to interpret what memory they would be placed in or what they would see, only knowing that it wouldn’t be pretty based on this. 

“Cover your ears and close your eyes as soon as I say so and don’t open them until I tap your shoulder,” Ren instructed. He knew what they would see but he didn’t want Morgana to see this but he knew he couldn’t deter him from going with him. The cat nodded, and with a worried expression now evident on his being. 

The teen let a hand in and saw that they could enter, nodding to his partner and in they went. 

~ _ transition thingy but serious stuff~ _

Shujin had always been a large, pristine building on its outside appearance. Oh, the place was so pretty, shiny, filled with students that seemed to have an amazing reputation and success. The sports teams do well, but wow isn’t the volleyball team something? Why, they even have an Olympic coach training them to be the best in the world! That is what society regarded Shujin Academy as, a place where things were elegant, clean, and successful. Of course, no one would know what would be going on in the training, the meetings and the practices. No one would know what they went through daily, as long as they succeeded. No one would know the vile creature preying on the students, eagerly licking his lips waiting to dine on his next target. 

The adults knew, but no one stopped them until the monster was forced to admit his crimes and end his rule over the vile place that Shujin was. 

As soon as they entered the photo, they found themselves in the room where Ren, Ryuji, and Mishima were threatened with expulsion in, Kamoshida's faculty office. Every detail of it gave Ren bad memories, especially the teacher’s smirk after goading Ryuji to yell and almost attack him, giving him enough reason to attempt expulsion on people he deemed nuisances.

But, the pair didn’t find just the vile creature they had expected. They found Shiho too. 

She sat uncomfortably, across from Kamoshida as he eyed her down with a vile look and like an animal sizing up his prey with anger after hanging up the phone. It seemed like his plan A wouldn’t help satisfy him, so he’d just have to settle with her best friend. Perhaps she could be an appetizer if he forced her hand hard enough. They’d have to give them what he wanted, he was the only reason the damn school was anything. Similar sinister thoughts went through his mind as he licked his lips. 

“It looks like Ann doesn’t want to help you succeed Suzui. That’s a shame, isn’t it? She’s not here right now to help you. It’s just me and you.”

The girl was petrified as she couldn’t do anything but quiver. 

“Morgana, close your eyes and ears,” Ren ordered, and Morgana did it without a second thought. He knew by the way he commanded the words that this was going to be painful. The teen knew that no one should have to see this, and tried to cover his eyes/ears as well but as soon as he tried it, he could still see every detail. It seemed like someone wanted him to see and hear every moment of this. There wasn’t an escape. 

Ren heard the door click, signifying that it was now locked. No interruptions to stop what the teacher had in mind. Shiho couldn’t move. She couldn’t escape. He towered over her, looking down at her figure and he gave a malicious grin. He only said two words as he hovered over her like a predator. 

“Stand up.” He demanded. Her body forced up, showing all of the bruises placed on her body by him from practice and meetings like this. 

“Good girl. You’re gonna listen to what I say right? You wouldn’t want your best friend to get hurt, would you?” He asked, giving a sarcastic laugh after as she did the motions without any life in herself anymore. It was clear what he was going to do after she gave up trying to resist. He placed his hands on her body. 

The teen wanted to scream and hurl, attacking the man and forcing him to stop. But everything froze then. The scene ended but he found himself in a different scene entirely. Morgana was still there but he was down on the ground with eyes and ears closed. 

But a voice caught his attention. 

“Ren.” The sing-song like voice still sounded so kind and warm, he knew it was  _ her _ . Or at least, the cognitive version of her but it felt too real for him to think it was anything other than the real Ann.

He turned his body to see her. She stood there, with her posture being so open and inviting but with a tiny smile as she stared into him. She spoke, hoping that she could make him understand. 

“She’s been through too much Ren. Please, just let us have this…” She stopped, waiting a brief moment to try to get more words out. 

“No one deserves to go through that, and that monster doesn’t exist in this world. No monsters or bad guys can ever hurt us. We can be… happy.” She smiled while making herself more open, hopeful that he’ll close the distance and accept. Everything could be what they wanted if he just let this happen. 

He doesn’t move.

“I know Ann. But this isn’t Shiho. That’s just someone there to make you happy.” His words pleaded back a different response. One that said that this isn’t real and that he couldn’t accept anything other than the truth. 

“No! This can be the real world if you just accept Ren! Why do you want to go back to the world where we’re going to suffer without any reason?” She shot back, her eyes ripe with emotion and a fire that he remembered so fondly. He never thought he’d see those green orbs against him in disagreement like this. 

“Because it’s real Ann.” He couldn’t bear to wear his mask any longer. This wasn’t dealing with Joker, this was an issue with Ren and he took it off. He looked at the soft features of her face, while she began to tear up. The small wet residues covering her cheeks.

“You don’t know what’ll happen…” She trailed off, her eyes locking to the ground to try to stop the tears from flooding her face. She couldn’t look at him any longer. 

“Whatever happens, we’ll get through it.” He replied simply, but he didn’t have any confidence after saying them.

She scoffed at his response. “You’ve never seen someone close to you hurt, have you? You haven’t seen them so scarred and in pain that they can’t do the things they used to love doing. But this doesn’t have to be that way. Didn’t you say that you’ll always be there for me? Why can’t you be there for me for this?” She asked, taking a step closer to him. Their bodies were only separated by a few feet. 

He couldn’t answer her.

She stepped closer. 

“Why Ren? Why are you doing this?” 

Another foot closer. 

“Talk to me. Say something.” She cried out, but he couldn’t get the words out. He couldn’t even look at her, he was so scared to see her angry at him. But it wasn’t anger, she was in pain.

She wrapped herself around him. Perhaps it was desperation or need for comfort but she kept crying, pleading with him to say something. He managed to say something, but it wasn’t an answer to her question exactly. 

“I’m sorry.”

She knew he wouldn’t change his mind. His firmness, kindness, and tenacity for things were always what made him so charming and open. She loved him.

Ann pulled away and tried to smile the best she could, even with the tears streaming down her face. 

“I understand. Once you have your mind set on something, you’ll never give it up.” She sadly chuckled while trying to wipe the wet droplets away. 

“Ann…” Saying her name felt so painful at that moment. He remembered saying it with so much vest and excitement whenever they talked. He remembered she was the first person to smile at him in that blistering rain. That first day of school was the one that marked the start of his journey, and he remembered that moment as something upbringing. It felt so good to have anyone show any expression of happiness at the sight of him and he needed it so badly after the arrest. They became quick friends, seeing so many sights and doing so many things that everything else might have paled in comparison. But seeing her help Shiho go to the roof where it all happened and seeing her hug her best friend was one of the happiest moments he’d have. 

Ann started to slowly disappear, starting from the bottom in a slow process that Ren didn’t notice as her next words caught him off-guard.

“Do you ever wonder… what could have been?” She asked sadly, giving that same smile that enchanted him back then. The warmness of it suggested that it was okay if he didn’t share the same affection or the same wants as she did. 

“I-” He stumbled on his words while she faded, her warm spirit never leaving the vexing lock it had on his vocal cords. He couldn’t say what he wanted to. Her body kept disappearing as his soul pleaded for more time to say what he wanted to. 

While it finally reached her face, he spoke the remainder.

“I do.”

She smiled sadly. Knowing that in another time, they would have been… 

Ann disappeared.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Cards Collide: Re:Masked](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26549818) by [AkiraKuru2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AkiraKuru2/pseuds/AkiraKuru2)




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